*  '•    '  '  • 

V 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 


,  THE   IVORY  SERIES 


AMOS  JUDD.      By  J.  A.  Mitchell 
Editor  of  "  Life  " 

I  A.     A  Love  Story.     By  Q 
[Arthur  T.  Quiller-Couch] 

THE   SUICIDE   CLUB 
By  Robert  Louts  Stevenson 

Each,  16mo,  gilt  top,  75  cents 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 


BY 

ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON 


CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
NEW  YORK,  1896 


CONTENTS 


PACK 

STORY   OF  THE   YOUNG   MAN   WITH   THE 


CREAM  TARTS, 


STORY  OF  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND  THE  SARA- 
TOGA TRUNK, 69 

THE  ADVENTURE  OF  THE  HANSOM  CAB,    .    129 


1781503 


STORY  OF  THE  YOUNG  MAN  WITH 
THE   CREAM  TARTS 


STORY  OF  THE  YOUNG  MAN  WITH 
THE   CREAM   TARTS 

DURING  his  residence  in  London,  the 
accomplished  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia 
gained  the  affection  of  all  classes  by  the  se- 
duction of  his  manner  and  by  a  well-consid- 
ered generosity.  He  was  a  remarkable  man 
even  by  what  was  known  of  him ;  and  that 
was  but  a  small  part  of  what  he  actually  did. 
Although  of  a  placid  temper  in  ordinary 
circumstances,  and  accustomed  to  take  the 
world  with  as  much  philosophy  as  any 
ploughman,  the  Prince  of  Bohemia  was  not 
without  a  taste  for  ways  of  life  more  advent- 
urous and  eccentric  than  that  to  which  he 
was  destined  by  his  birth.  Now  and  then, 
when  he  fell  into  a  low  humour,  when  there 
was  no  laughable  play  to  witness  in  any  of 
the  London  theatres,  and  when  the  season 


4  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

of  the  year  was  unsuitable  to  those  field 
sports  in  which  he  excelled  all  competitors, 
he  would  summon  his  confidant  and  Master 
of  the  Horse.  Colonel  ppra1rlinpr  and  bid 
him  prepare  himself  against  an  evening  ram- 
ble. The  Master  of  the  Horse  was  a  young 
officer  of  a  brave  and  even  temerarious  dis- 
position. He  greeted  the  news  with  delight, 
and  hastened  to  make  ready.  Long  practice 
and  a  varied  acquaintance  of  life  had  given 
him  a  singular  facility  in  disguise ;  he  could 
adapt  not  only  his  face  and  bearing,  but  his 
voice  and  almost  his  thoughts,  to  those  of 
any  rank,  character,  or  nation ;  and  in  this 
way  he  diverted  attention  from  the  Prince, 
and  sometimes  gained  admission  for  the 
pair  into  strange  societies.  The  civil  au- 
thorities were  never  taken  into  the  secret  of 
these  adventures ;  the  imperturbable  courage 
of  the  one  and  the  ready  invention  and 
chivalrous  devotion  of  the  other  had  brought 
them  through  a  score  of  dangerous  passes ; 
and  they  grew  in  confidence  as  time  went 
on. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  5 

One  evening  in  March  they  were  driven 
by  a  sharp  fall  of  sleet  into  an  Oyster  Bar  in 
the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  Leicester^ 
Square.  .  Colonel  Geraldine  was  dressed  and 
painted  to  represent  a  person  connected  with 
the  Press  in  reduced  circumstances ;  while 
the  Prince  had,  as  usual,  travestied  his  ap- 
pearance by  the  addition  of  false  whiskers 
and  a  pair  of  large  adhesive  eyebrows. 
These  lent  him  a  shaggy  and  weather-beaten 
air,  which,  for  one  of  his  urbanity,  formed 
the  most  impenetrable  disguise.  Thus 
equipped,  the  commander  and  his  satellite 
sipped  their  brandy  and  soda  in  security. 

The  bar  was  full  of  guests,  both  male  and 
female ;  but  though  more  than  one  of  these 
offered  to  fall  into  talk  with  our  adventur- 
ers, none  of  them  promised  to  grow  inter- 
esting upon  a  nearer  acquaintance.  There 
was  nothing  present  but  the  lees  of  London 
and  the  commonplace  of  disrespectability  ; 
and  the  Prince  had  already  fallen  to  yawn- 
ing, and  was  beginning  to  grow  weary  of 
the  whole  excursion,  when  the  swing  doois 


6  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

were  pushed  violently  open,  and  a  young 
man,  followed  by  a  couple  of  commission- 
aires^entered  the  bar.  Each  of  the  com- 
niissionaires  carried  a  large  dish  of  rrean-L 
tflftff  \md*r  *  mvpr,  which  they  at:  onr.e  re- 
moved ;  and  the  young  man  made  the  round 
of  the  company,  and  pressed  these  confec- 
tions upon  everyone's  acceptance  with  an 
exaggerated  courtesy.  Sometimes  his  offer 
was  laughingly  accepted;  sometimes  it  was 
firmly,  or  even  harshly,  rejected.  In  these 
latter  cases  the  new-comer  always  ate  the 
tart  himself,  with  some  more  or  less  humour- 
ous commentary. 

At  last  he  accosted  Prince  Florizel. 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  with  a  profound  obeisance, 
proffering  the  tart  at  the  same  time  between 
his  thumb  and  forefinger,  "  will  you  so  far 
honour  an  entire  stranger?  I  can  answer 
for  the  quality  of  the  pastry,  having  eaten 
two  dozen  and  three  of  them  myself  since 
five  o'clock." 

"I  am  in  the  habit,"  replied  the  Prince, 
"of  looking  not  so  much  to  the  nature 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  7 

of  a  gift  as  to  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  of- 


"The   spirit,   sir,"   returned    the    young 
man,  with  another  bow,  "s  one  of 


"Mockery?"  repeated  Florizel.  "And 
whom  do  you  propose  to  mock  ?  '  ' 

"  I  am  not  here  to  expound  my  philoso- 
phy," replied  the  other,  "  but  to  distribute 
these  cream  tarts.  If  I  mention  that  I 
heartily  include  rpygplf  {p  tl-x*  n'rhVnU  /-.f 
tfafi  fyansartinn,  I  hope  you  will  consider 
honour  satisfied  and  condescend.  If  not, 
you  will  constrain  me  to  eat  my  twenty  - 
ejghth,  and  I  own  to  being  weary  of  the  ex- 
ercise. '  ' 

"You  touch  me,"  said  the  Prince,  "and 
I  have  all  the  will  in  the  world  to  rescue 
you  from  this  dilemma,  but  upon  one  con- 
dition. If  my  friend  and  I  eat  your  cakes 
—  for  which  we  have  neither  of  us  any  natu- 
ral inclination  —  we  shall  expect  you  to  join 
us  at  supper,  by  way  of  recomp^^-" 

The  young  man  seemed  to  reflect. 


8  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"I  have  still  several  dozen  upon  hand," 
he  said  at  last;  "and  that  will  make  it 
necessary  for  me  to  visit  several  more  bars 
before  my  great  affair  is  concluded.  This 
will  take  some  time ;  and  if  you  are  hun- 

gry " 

The  Prince  interrupted  him  with  a  polite 
gesture. 

"  My  friend  and  I  will  accompany  you," 
he  said  :  ' '  for  we  have  already  a  deep  interest 
in  your  very  agreeable  mode  of  passing  an 
evening.  And  now  that  the  preliminaries 
of  peace  are  settled,  allow  me  to  sign  the 
treaty  for  both." 

And  the  Prince  swallowed  the  tart  with 
the  best  grace  imaginable. 

"  It  is  delicious,"  said  he. 

"I  perceive  you  are  a  connoisseur,"  re- 
plied the  young  man. 

Colonel  Geraldine  likewise  did  honour  to 
the  pastry ;  and  every  one  in  that  bar  hav- 
ing now  either  accepted  or  refused  his  deli- 
cacies, the  young  man  with  the  cream  tarts 
led  the  way  to  another  and  similar  establish- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  9 

ment.  The  two  commissionaires,  who 
seemed  to  have  grown  accustomed  to  their 
absurd  employment,  followed  immediately 
after;  and  the  Prince  and  the  Colonel 
brought  up  the  rear,  arm  in  arm,  and  smiling 
to  each  other  as  they  went.  In  this  order 
the  company  visited  two  other  taverns,  where 
scenes  were  enacted  of  a  like  nature  to  that 
already  described — some  refusing,  some  ac- 
cepting, the  favours  of  this  vagabond  hos- 
pitality, and  the  young  man  himself  eating 
each  rejected  tart. 

On  leaving  the  third  saloon  the  young 
man  counted  his  store.  There  were  but 
nine  remaining,  three  in  one  tray  and  six  in 
the  other. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  he,  addressing  him- 
self to  his  two  new  followers,  "  I  am  unwill- 
ing to  delay  your  supper.  I  am  positively 
sure  you  must  be  hungry.  I  feel  that  I  owe 
you  a  special  consideration.  And  on  this 
great  day  for  me,  when  I  am  closing  a  career 
^oj^  folly  by  my  most  conspicuously  silly 
action,  I  wish  to  behave  handsomely  "to  alT 


io  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

who  give  me  countenance.    Gentlemen,  you 
shall  wait  no  longer.     Although  my  consti- 

tution  is  shattered  by  previous  excesses,,  at 

-,  •  • — 

the  risk  of  my  life  I  liquidate  the  suspensory 

condition." 

With  these  words  he  crushed'the  nine  re- 
maining tarts  into  his  mouth^  and  swallowed 
them  at  a  single  movement  each.  Then, 
turning  to  the  commissionaires,  he  gave  them 
a  couple  of  sovereigns. 

"  I  have  to  thank  you,"  said  he,  "for 
your  extraordinary  patience. ' ' 

And  he  dismissed  them  with  a  bow  apiece. 
For  some  seconds  he  stood  looking  at  the 
purse  from  which  he  had  just  paid  his  assist- 
ants, then,  with  a  laugh,  he  tossed  it  into  the 
middle  of  the  street,  and  signified  his  readi- 
ness for  supper. 

In   a  small   French   restaurant   in  Soho, 


which  had  enjoyed  an  exaggerated  reputation 
for  some  little  while,  but  had  already  begun 
to  be  forgotten,  and  in  a  private  room  up 
two  pair  of  stairs,  the  three  companions  made 
a  very  elegant  supper,  and  drank  three  or 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  II 

four  bottles  of  champagne,  talking  the  while 
upon  indifferent  subjects.  The  young  man 
was  fluent  and  gay,  but  he  laughed  louder 
than  was  natural  in  a  person  of  polite  breed- 
ing ;  his  hands  trembled  violently,  and  his 
voice  took  sudden  and  surprising  inflections, 
which  seemed  to  be  independent  of  his  will. 
The  dessert  had  been  cleared  away,  and  all 
three  had  lighted  their  cigars,  when  the 

Prince  addressed  him  in  these  words : 

"You  will,  I  am  sure,  pardon  my  curios- 
ity. What  I  have  seen  of  you  has  greatly 
pleased  but  even  more  puzzled  me.  And 
though  I  should  be  loath  to  seem  indiscreet, 
I  must  tell  you  that  my  friend  and  I  are  per- 
sons very  well  worthy  to  be  entrusted  with  a 
secret.  We  have  many  of  our  own,  which 
we  are  continually  revealing  to  improper 
ears.  And  if,  as  I  suppose,  your  story  is  a 
silly  one,  you  need  have  no  delicacy  with  us, 
who  are  two  of  the  silliest  men  in  England. 
My  name  is  Godall,  Theophilus  Godall ;  my 
friend  is  Major  Alfred  Hammersmith — or  at 
least,  such  is  the  name  by  which  he  chooses 


12  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

to  be  known.  We  pass  our  lives  entirely  in 
the  search  for  extravagant  adventur_esj__and 
there  is  no  extravagance  with  which  wejye 
not  capable  ot  sympathy?^ 

"  I  like  you,  Mr.  Godall,"  returned  the 
young  man  ;  "  you  inspire  me  with  a  nat- 
ural confidence ;  and  I  have  not  the  slight- 
est objection  to  your  friend,  the  Major ; 
whom  I  take  to  be  a  nobleman  in  masquer- 
ade. At  least,  I  am  sure  he  is  no  soldier." 

The  Colonel  smiled  at  this  compliment  to 
the  perfection  of  his  art ;  and  the  young  man 
went  on  in  a  more  animated  manner. 

"  There  is  every  reason  why  I  should  not 
tell  you  my  story.  Perhaps  that  is  just  the 
reason  why  I  am  going  to  do  so.  At  least, 
you  seem  so  well  prepared  to  hear  a  tale  of 
silliness  that  I  cannot  find  it  in  my  heart  to 
disappoint  you.  My  name,  in  spite  of  your 
example,  T  shall  keep  to  myself.  My  age  is 
not  essential  to  the  narrative.  I  am  de- 
scended from  my  ancestors  by  ordinary  gen- 
eration, and  from  them  IJnlierited  the  very 
eligible  human  tenement  which  I  still  occupy 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  13 

and  a  fortune  of  three  hundred  pounds  a  year. 
I  suppose  they  also  handed  on  to  me  a  hare- 
brain  humour,  which  it  has  been  my  chief 
delight  to  indulge.  I  received  a  good  edu- 
cation. I  can  play  the  violin  nearly  well 
enough  to  earn  money  in  the  orchestra  of  a 
penny  gaff,  but  not  quite.  The  same  remark 
applies  to  the  flute  and  the  French  horn.  I 
learned  enough  of  whist  to  lose  about  a  hun- 
dred a  year  at  that  scientific  game.  My 
acquaintance  with  French  was  sufficient  to 
enable  me  to  squander  money  in  Paris  with 
almost  the  same  facility  as  in  London.  In 
short,  I  am  a  person  full  of  manly  accomplish- 
ments. I  have  had  every  sort  of  adventure, 
including  a  duel  about  nothing.  Only  two 
months  ago  I  met  a  young  lady  exactly 
suited  to  my  taste  in  mind  and  body  ;  I  found 
my  heart  melt ;  I  saw  that  I  had  come  upon 
my  fate  at  last,  and  was  in  the  way  to  fall  in 
love.  But  when  I  came  to  reckon  up  what 
remained  to  me  of  my  capital,  I  found  it 
amounted  to  something  less  than  four  hun- 
dred pounds  !  I  ask  you  fairly — can  a  man 


14  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

who  respects  himself  fall  in  love  on  four  hun- 
dred pounds  ?  I  concluded,  certainly  not ; 
left  the  presence  of  my  charmer,  and  slightly 
accelerating  my  usual  rate  of  expenditure, 
came  this  morning  to  my  last  eighty  pounds- 
This  I  divided  into  two  equal  parts ;  forty  I 
reserved  for  a  particular  purpose ;  the  re- 
maining forty  I  was  to  dissipate  before  the 
night.  I  have  passed  a  very  entertaining 
day ;  and  played  many  farces  besides  that  of 
the  cream  tarts  which  procured  me  the  ad- 
vantage of  your  acquaintance ;  for  I  was  de- 
termined, as  I  told  you,  to  bring  a  foolish 
career  to  a  still  more  foolish  conclusion ;  and 
when  you  saw  me  throw  my  purse  into  the 
street,  the  forty  pounds  were  at  an  end. 
Now  you  know  me  as  well  as  I  know  myself : 
afoql  hu^  (yrnsjgt.p.nf;  jfljiis  folly  ',  and,  as  I 
will  ask  you  to  believe,  neither  a  whimperer 
nor  a  coward." 

From  the  whole  tone  of  the  young  man's 
statement  it  was  plain  that  he  harboured  very 
bitter  and  contemptuous  thnng^tg  abnnt  hjra- 
self.  His  auditors  were  led  to  imagine  that 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  15 

his  love  affair  was  nearer  his  heart  than  he 
admitted,  and  that  he  had  a  design  on  his 
own  life.  The  farce  of  the  cream  tarts  be- 
gan to  have  very  much  the  air  of  a  tragedy 
in  disguise. 

"  Why,  is  this  not  odd,"  broke  out  Ger- 
aldine,  giving  a  look  to  Prince  Florizel, 
"  that  we  three  fellows  should  have  met  by 
the  merest  accident  in  so  large  a  wilderness 
as  London,  and  should  be  so  nearly  in  the 
same  condition  ? ' ' 

"How?"  cried  the  young  man.  "Are 
you,  too,  ruined  ?  Is  this  supper  a  folly  like 
my  cream  tarts  ?  Has  the  devil  brought 
three  of  his  own  together  for  a  last  carouse  ?  ' ' 

"The  devil,  depend  upon  it,  can  some- 
times do  a  very  gentlemanly  thing,"  re- 
turned Prince  Florizel ;  "and  I  am  so  much 
touched  by  this  coincidence,  that,  although 
we  are  not  entirely  in  the  same  case,  I  am 
going  to  put  an  end  to  the  disparity.  Let 
your  heroic  treatment  of  the  last  cream  tarts 
be  my  example." 

So  saying,  the  Prince  drew  out  his  purse 


1 6  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

and  took  from  it  a  small  bundle  of  bank- 
notes. 

"  You  see,  I  was  a  week  or  so  behind  you, 
but  I  mean  to  catch  you  up  and  come  neck 
and  neck  into  the  winning-post, ' '  he  con- 
tinued. "This,"  laying  one  of  the  notes 
upon  the  table,  "  will  suffice  for  the  bill. 
As  for  the  rest — ' ' 

He  tossed  them  into  the  fire,  and  they 
went  up  the  chimney  in  a  single  blaze. 

The  young  man  tried  to  catch  his  arm, 
but  as  the  table  was  between  them  his  inter- 
ference came  too  late. 

"  Unhappy  man,"  he  cried,  "  you  should 
not  have  burned  them  all !  You  should 
have  kept  forty  pounds. ' ' 

"Forty  pounds!"  repeated  the  Prince. 
"  Why,  in  heaven's  name,  forty  pounds  ?  " 

"Why  not  eighty?"  cried  the  Colonel; 
"  for  to  my  certain  knowledge  there  must 
have  been  a  hundred  in  the  bundle. ' ' 

"  It  was  only  forty  pounds  he  needed," 
said  the  young  man  gloomily.  "  But  with- 
out them  there  is  no  admission.  The  rule 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  17 

is  strict.  Forty  pounds  for  each.  Ac- 
cursed life,  where  a  man  cannot  even  die 
without  money  !  " 

The  Prince  and  the  Colonel  exchanged 
glances. 

"  Explain  yourself,"  said  the  latter.  "I 
have  still  a  pocket-book  tolerably  well  lined, 
and  I  need  not  say  how  readily  I  would 
share  my  wealth  with  Godall.  But  I  must 
know  to  what  end  :  you  must  certainly  tell 
us  what  you  mean." 

The  young  man  seemed  to  awaken ;  he 
looked  uneasily  from  one  to  the  other,  and 
his  face  flushed  deeply. 

"You  are  not  fooling  me?"  he  asked. 
"  You  are  indeed  ruined  men  like  me?  " 

"Indeed,  I  am  for  my  part,"  replied  the 
Colonel. 

"And  for  mine,"  said  the  Prince,  "I 
have  given  you  proof.  Who  but  a  ruined 
man  would  throw  his  notes  into  the  fire  ? 
The  action  speaks  for  itself." 

"A  ruined  man  —  yes,"  returned  the 
other  suspiciously,  "  or  else  a  millionaire." 


iS  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"Enough,  sir,"  said  the  Prince;  "I 
have  said  so,  and  I  am  not  accustomed  to 
have  my  word  remain  in  doubt." 

"  Ruined  ?  "  said  the  young  man.  "  Are 
you  ruined,  like  me?  Are  you,  after  a  life 
of  indulgence,  come  to  such  a  pass  that  you 
can  only  indulge  yourself  in  one  thing  more  ? 
Are  you  " — he  kept  lowering  his  voice  as  .he 
went  on — "  are  you  going  to  give  yourselves 
that  last  indulgence?  Are  you  going  to 
avoid  the  consequences  of  your  folly  by  the 
one  infallible  and  easy  path?  Are  you 
going  to  give  the  slip  to  the  sheriff's  officers 
of  conscience  by  the  one  open  door  ?  ' ' 

Suddenly  he  broke  off  and  attempted  to 
laugh. 

"  Here  is  your  health  !  "  he  cried,  empty- 
ing his  glass,  "  and  good  night  to  you,  my 
merry  ruined  men." 

Colonel  Geraldine  caught  him  by  the  arm 
as  he  was  about  to  rise. 

"You  lack  confidence  in  us,"  he  said, 
"  and  you  are  wrong.  To  all  your  ques- 
tions I  make  answer  in  the  affirmative.  But 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  19 

I  am  not  so  timid,  and  can  speak  the 
Queen's  English  plainly.  We  too,  like 
yourself,  have  had  enough  of  life,  and  are 
determined  to  die.  Sooner  or  later,  alone 
or  together,  we  meant  to  seek  out  death 
and  beard  him  where  he  lies  ready.  Since 
we  have  met  you,  and  your  case  is  more 
pressing,  let  it  be  to-night  —  and  at  once  — 
and,  if  you  will,  all  three  together.  Such 
a  penniless  trio."  he  cried,  "  should  go  arm 
in  arm  inf'r>  ^  Vin11r'  nf  'n1"f"i  nnrl  pjyg 


shades  !  " 

Geraldine  had  hit  exactly  on  the  manners 
and  intonations  that  became  the  part  he  was 
playing.  The  Prince  himself  was  disturbed, 
and  looked  over  at  his  confidant  with  a 
shade  of  doubt.  As  for  the  young  man,  the 
flush  came  back  darkly  into  his  cheek,  and 
his  eyes  threw  out  a  spark  of  light. 

"You  are  the  men  for  me  !  "  he  cried, 
with  an  almost  terrible  gayety.  "  Shake 
hands  upon  the  bargain  !  "  (his  hand  was 
cold  and  wet.)  "You  little  know  in  what 


20  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

a  company  you  will  begin  the  march  !  You 
little  know  in  what  a  happy  moment  for 
yourselves  you  partook  of  my  cream  tarts  ! 
I  am  only  a  unit,  but  ^am  a  unit  in  a.n_ 
armx,  I  know  Death's  Drjv^  Annr-  I  am 
one  of  his  familiars,  and  can  show  you  into 

eternity  without    rprpmnr|y  anH  yrt   wjfhnnt 


They  called  upon  him  eagerly  to  explain 
his  meaning. 

"  Can  you  muster  eighty  pounds  between 
you?  "  he  demanded. 

G-eraldine.  ostentatiously  consulted  his 
pocket  -  book,  and  replied  in  the  affirma- 
tive. 

"Fortunate  beings!"  cried  the  young 
man.  "  Forty  pounds  is  the  entry  money 
ofthe  Suicide  Club." 

"The  Suicide  Club,"  said  the  Prince, 
"  why,  .what  the  devil  is  that  ?  " 

"  Listen,"  said  the  young  man  ;  "  this  is 
the  age  of  conveniences,  and  I  have  to  tell 
you  of  the  last  perfection  of  the  sort.  We 
have  affairs  in  different  places  ;  and  hence 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  21 

railways  were  invented.  Railways  separated 
us  infallibly  from  our  friends ;  and  so  tele- 
graphs were  made  that  we  might  communi- 
cate speedily  at  great  distances.  Even  in 
hotels  we  have  lifts  to  spare  us  a  climb  of 
some  hundred  steps.  Now,  we  know  that 
life  IB  only  a  stage  to  play  the  fool  upon  as 
long  as  the  part  amuses  us.  There  was  one 
more  convenience  lacking  to  modern  com- 
fort ;  a  decent,  easy  way  to  quit  that  stage  ; 
the  back  stairs  to  liberty  ;  or,  as  I  said  this 
moment,  Death's  private  door.  This,  my 
two  fellow-rebels,  is  supplied  by  the  Suicide 
Club.  Do  not  suppose  that  you  and  I  are 
alone,  or  even  exceptional,  in  the  highly 
reasonable  desire  that  we  profess.  A  large 
number  of  our  fellow-men,  who  have  grown 
heartily  sick  of  the  performance  in  which 
they  are  expected  to  join  daily  and  all  their 
lives  long,  are  only  kept  from  flight  by  one 
or  two  considerations.  SomeJaaveTamilies 
who  would  be  shocked,  or  even  b.1fimprlj  if 
the  matter  became  public ;  others  jiave  a 
weakness  at  heart  and  recoil  from  the  cir- 


22  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

cumstances  of  death.  That  is,  to  some  ex- 
tent, my  own  experience.  I  cannot  put  a 
pistol  to  my  head  and  draw  the  trigger ;  for 
something  stronger  than  myself  withholds  the 
act ;  and  although  I  loathe  life,  I  have  not 
strength  enough  in  my  body  to  take  hold  of 
death  and  be  done  with  it.  For  such,  as  I, 
and  for  all  who  desire  to  be  out  of  the  coil 
without  posthumous  scandal,  the  Suicide 
Club  has  been  inaugurated.  How  this  has 
been  managed,  what  is  its  history,  or  what 
may  be  its  ramifications  in  other  lands,  I  am 
myself  uninformed  ;  and  what  I  know  of  its 
constitution,  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  com- 
municate to  you.  To  this  extent,  however, 
I  am  at  your  service.  If  you  are  truly  tired 
of  life,  I  will  introduce  you  to-night  to  a 
meeting ;  and  if  not  to-night,  at  least  some 
time  within  the  week,  you  will  be  easily  re- 
lieved of  your  existences.  It  is  now  (con- 
sulting his  watch)  eleven  ;  by  half- past,  at 
latest,  we  must  leave  this  place ;  so  that  you 
have  half  an  hour  before  you  to  consider  my 
proposal.  It  is  more  serious  than  a  cream 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  23 

tart,"  he  added,  with  a  smile  ;  "and  I  sus- 
pect more  palatable. ' ' 

"  More  serious,  certainly,"  returned  Col- 
onel Geraldine ;  "  and  as  it  is  so  much 
more  so,  will  you  allow  me  five  minutes' 
speech  in  private  with  my  friend,  Mr.  God- 
all?" 

"It  is  only  fair,"  answered  the  young 
man.  "  If  you  will  permit,  I  will  retire." 

"You  will  be  very  obliging,"  said  the 
Colonel. 

As  soon  as  the  two  were  alone — 
"What,"  said  Prince  Florizel,  "  is  the  use 
of  this  confabulation,  Geraldine  ?  I  see  you 
are  flurried,  whereas  my  mind  is  very  tran- 
quilly made  up.  I  will  see  the  end  of 
this." 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  the  Colonel 
turning  pale ;  "let  me  ask  you  to  consider 
the  importance  of  your  life,  not  only  to  your 
friends,  but  to  the  public  interest.  '  If  not 
to-night,'  said  this  madman  ;  but  supposing 
that  to-night  some  irreparable  disaster  were 
to  overtake  your  Highness's  person,  what, 


24  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

let  me  ask  you,  what  would  be  my  despair, 
and  what  the  concern  and  disaster  of  a  great 
nation  ?  ' ' 

"  I  will  see  the  end  of  this,"  repeated  the 
Prince  in  his  most  deliberate  tones;  "and 
have  the  kindness,  Colonel  Geraldine,  to 
remember  and  respect  your  word  of  honour 
as  a  gentleman.  Under  no  circumstances, 
recollect,  nor  without  my  special  authority, 
are  you  to  betray  the  incognito  under  which 
I  choose  to  go  abroad.  These  were  my 
commands,  which  I  now  reiterate.  And 
now,"  he  added,  "  let  me  ask  you  to  call 
for  the  bill." 

Colonel  Geraldine  bowed  in  submission ; 
but  he  had  a  very  white  face  as  he  sum- 
moned the  young  man  of  the  cream  tarts, 
and  issued  his  directions  to  the  waiter. 
The  Prince  preserved  his  undisturbed  de- 
meanour, and  described  a  Palais  Royal  farce 
to  the  young  suicide  with  great  humour  and 
gusto.  He  avoided  the  Colonel's  appealing 
looks  without  ostentation,  and  selected  an- 
other cheroot  with  more  than  usual  care. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  25 

Indeed,  he  was  now  the  only  man  of  the  party 
who  kept  any  command  over  his  nerves. 

The  bill  was  discharged,  the  Prince  giv- 
ing the  whole  change  of  the  note  to  the  as- 
tonished waiter ;  and  the  three  drove  off  in 
a  four  wheeler.  They  were  not  long  upon 
the  way  before  the  cab  stopped  at  the  en- 
trance to  a  rather  dark  court.  Here  all  de- 
scended. 

After  Geraldine  had  paid  the  fare,  the 
young  man  turned,  and  addressed  Prince 
Florizel  as  follows : 

"It  is  still  time,  Mr.  Godall,  to  make 
good  your  escape  into  thralldom.  And  for 
you  too,  Major  Hammersmith.  Reflect 
well  before  you  take  another  step ;  and  if 
your  hearts  say  no  —  here  are  the  cross- 
roads. ' ' 

"Lead  on,  sir,"  said  the  Prince.  "I 
am  not  the  man  to  go  back  from  a  thing 
once  said." 

"Your  coolness  does  me  good,"  replied 
their  guide.  "  I  have  never  seen  anyone  so 
unmoved  at  this  conjuncture ;  and  yet  you 


26  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

are  not  the  first  whom  I  have  escorted  to 
this  door.  More  than  one  of  my  friends 
has  preceded  me,  where  I  knew  I  must  short- 
ly follow.  But  this  is  of  no  interest  to  you. 
Wait  me  here  for  only  a  few  moments ;  I 
shall  return  as  soon  as  I  have  arranged  the 
preliminaries  of  your  introduction." 

And  with  that  the  young  man,  waving  his 
hand  to  his  companions,  turned  into  the 
court,  entered  a  door-way  and  disappeared. 

"  Of  all  our  follies,"  said  Colonel  Geral- 
dine  in  a  low  voice,  "  this  is  the  wildest  and 
most  dangerous." 

"I  perfectly  believe  so,"  returned  the 
Prince. 

"We  have  still,"  pursued  the  Colonel, 
"  a  moment  to  ourselves.  Let  me  beseech 
your  Highness  to  profit  by  the  opportunity 
and  retire.  The  consequences  of  this  step 
are  so  dark,  and  may  be  so  grave,  that  I  feel 
myself  justified  in  pushing  a  little  farther 
than  usual  the  liberty  which  your  Highness  is 
so  condescending  as  to  allow  me  in  private. ' ' 

"Am  I  to  understand  that  Colonel  Geral- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  27 

dine  is  afraid?  "  asked  his  Highness,  taking 
his  cheroot  from  his  lips,  and  looking  keen- 
ly into  the  other's  face. 

"  My  fear  is  certainly  not  personal,"  re- 
plied the  other  proudly  ;  "of  that  your 
Highness  may  rest  well  assured." 

"  I  had  supposed  as  much,"  returned  the 
Prince,  with  undisturbed  good  humour ; 
"  but  I  was  unwilling  to  remind  you  of  the 
difference  in  our  stations.  No  more — no 
more,"  he  added,  seeing  Geraldine  about 
to  apologize,  "  you  stand  excused." 

And  he  smoked  placidly,  leaning  against 
a  railing,  until  the  young  man  returned. 

"Well,"  he  asked,  "has  our  reception 
been  arranged  ? ' ' 

"Follow  me,"  was  the  reply.  "The 
President  will  see  you  in  the  cabinet.  And 
let  me  warn  you  to  be  frank  in  your  an- 
swers. I  have  stood  your  guarantee ;  but 
the  club  requires  a  searching  inquiry  before 
admission  ;  for  the  indiscretion  of  a  single 
member  would  lead  to  the  dispersion  of  the 
whole  society  forever. ' ' 


28  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

The  Prince  and  Geraldine  put  their  heads 
together  for  a  moment.  "  Bear  me  out  in 
this,"  said  the  one;  and  "bear  me  out  in 
that, ' '  said  the  other ;  and  by  boldly  taking 
up  the  characters  of  men  with  whom  both 
were  acquainted,  they  had  come  to  an  agree- 
ment in  a  twinkling,  and  were  ready  to  fol- 
low their  guide  into  the  President's  cabinet. 

There  were  no  formidable  obstacles  to 
pass.  The  outer  door  stood  open ;  the  door 
of  the  cabinet  was  ajar;  and  there,  in  a 
small  but  very  high  apartment,  the  young 
man  left  them  once  more. 

"  He  will  be  here  immediately,"  he  said 
with  a  nod,  as  he  disappeared. 

Voices  were  audible  in  the  cabinet 
through  the  folding  doors  which  formed  one 
end;  and  now  and  then  the  noise  of  a 
champagne  cork,  followed  by  a  burst  of 
laughter,  intervened  among  the  sounds  of 
conversation.  A  single  tall  window  looked 
out  upon  the  river  and  the  embankment ; 
and  by  the  disposition  of  the  lights  they 
judged  themselves  not  far  from  Charing 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  29 

Cross  station.  The  furniture  was  scanty, 
and  the  coverings  worn  to  the  thread  ;  and 
there  was  nothing  movable  except  a  hand- 
bell in  the  centre  of  a  round  table,  and  the 
hats  and  coats  of  a  considerable  party  hung 
round  the  wall  on  pegs. 

"  What  sort  of  a  den  is  this  ?  "  said  Ger- 
aldine. 

"  That  is  what  I  have  come  to  see,"  re- 
plied the  Prince.  "  If  they  keep  live  dev- 
ils on  the  premises,  the  thing  may  grow 
amusing. ' ' 

Just  then  the  folding  door  was  opened  no 
more  than  was  necessary  for  the  passage  of  a 
human  body ;  and  there  entered  at  the 
same  moment  a  louder  buzz  of  talk,  and  the 
redoubtable  President  of  the  Suicide  Club. 
The  President  was  a  man  of  fifty  or  up- 
wards ;  large  and  rambling  in  his  gait,  with 
shaggy  side-whiskers,  a  bald  top  to  his  head, 
and  a  veiled  gray  eye,  which  now  and  then 
emitted  a  twinkle.  His  mouth,  which  em- 
braced a  large  cigar,  he  kept  continually 
screwing  round  and  round  and  from  side  to 


30  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

side,  as  he  looked  sagaciously  and  coldly  at 
the  strangers.  He  was  dressed  in  light 
tweeds,  with  his  neck  very  open,  in  a 
striped  shirt  collar  ;  and  carried  a  minute 
book  under  one  arm. 

"Good  evening,"  said  he,  after  he  had 
closed  the  door  behind  him.  "  I  am  told 
you  wish  to  speak  with  me." 

"  We  have  a  desire,  sir,  to  join  the 
Suicide  Club,"  replied  the  Colonel. 

The  President  rolled  his  cigar  about  in 
his  mouth. 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  he  said  abruptly. 

"Pardon  me,"  returned  the  Colonel, 
"  but  I  believe  you  are  the  person  best 
qualified  to  give  us  information  on  that 
point." 

"  I  ?  "  cried  the  President.  "  A  Suicide 
Club?  Come,  come  !  this  is  a  frolic  for  All 
Fools'  Day.  I  can  make  allowances  for 
gentlemen  who  get  merry  in  their  liquor  ; 
but  let  there  be  an  end  to  this." 

"  Call  your  Club  what  you  will,"  said 
the  Colonel,  "  you  have  some  company  be- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  31 

hind  these  doors,  and  we  insist  on  joining 
it." 

"Sir,"  returned  the  President,  curtly, 
"  you  have  made  a  mistake.  This  is  a  pri- 
vate house,  and  you  must  leave  it  instantly. ' ' 

The  Prince  had  remained  quietly  in  his 
seat  throughout  this  little  colloquy;  but 
now,  when  the  Colonel  looked  over  to  him, 
as  much  as  to  say,  "  Take  your  answer  and 
come  away,  for  God's  sake  !  "  he  drew  his 
cheroot  from  his  mouth,  and  spoke 

"  I  have  come  here,"  said  he,  "  upon 
the  invitation  of  a  friend  of  yours.  He  has 
doubtless  informed  you  of  my  intention  in 
thus  intruding  on  your  party.  Let  me  re- 
mind you  that  a  person  in  my  circumstances 
has  exceedingly  little  to  bind  him,  and  is 
not  at  all  likely  to  tolerate  much  rudeness. 
I  am  a  very  quiet  man,  as  a  usual  thing  ; 
but,  my  dear  sir,  you  are  either  going  to 
oblige  me  in  the  little  matter  of  which  you 
are  aware,  or  you  shall  very  bitterly  repent 
that  you  ever  admitted  me  to  your  ante- 
chamber. ' ' 


32  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

The  President  laughed  aloud. 

"That  is  the  way  to  speak,"  said  he. 
"  You  are  a  man  who  is  a  man.  You  know 
the  way  to  my  heart,  and  can  do  what  you 
like  with  me.  Will  you,"  he  continued, 
addressing  Geraldine,  "  will  you  step  aside 
for  a  few  minutes  ?  I  shall  finish  first  with 
your  companion,  and  some  of  the  club's 
formalities  require  to  be  fulfilled  in  pri- 
vate." 

With  these  words  he  opened  the  door  of  a 
small  closet,  into  which  he  shut  the  Colonel. 

"  I  believe  in  you,"  he  said  to  Florizel, 
as  soon  as  they  were  alone  ;  "  but  are  you 
sure  of  your  friend  ?  ' ' 

"  Not  so  sure  as  I  am  of  myself,  though 
he  has  more  cogent  reasons,"  answered 
Florizel,  "  but  sure  enough  to  bring  him 
here  without  alarm.  He  has  had  enough  to 
cure  the  most  tenacious  man  of  life.  He 
was  cashiered  the  other  day  for  cheating  at 
cards." 

"A  good  reason,  I  daresay,"  replied  the 
President;  "at  least,  we  have  another  in 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  33 

the  same  case,  and  I  feel  sure  of  him.  Have 
you  also  been  in  the  Service,  may  I  ask  ?  ' ' 

' '  I  have, ' '  was  the  reply  ;  ' '  but  I  was 
too  lazy,  I  left  it  early. ' ' 

"  What  is  your  reason  for  being  tired  of 
life  ?  ' '  pursued  the  President. 

"  The  same,  as  near  as  I  can  make  out," 
answered  the  Prince;  "unadulterated  lazi- 
ness." 

The  President  started.  "  D — n  it," 
said  he,  "you  must  have  something  better 
than  that." 

"  I  have  no  more  money,"  added  Flori- 
zel.  "That  is  also  a  vexation,  without 
doubt.  It  brings  my  sense  of  idleness  to  an 
acute  point." 

The  President  rolled  his  cigar  round  in 
his  mouth  for  some  seconds,  directing  his 
gaze  straight  into  the  eyes  of  this  unusual 
neophyte;  but  the  Prince  supported  his 
scrutiny  with  unabashed  good  temper. 

"  If  I  had  not  a  deal  of  experience," 
said  the  President  at  last,  "  I  should  turn 
you  off.  But  I  know  the  world ;  and  this 
3 


34  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

much  any  way,  that  the  most  frivolous  ex- 
cuses for  a  suicide  are  often  the  toughest  to 
stand  by.  And  when  I  downright  like  a 
man,  as  I  do  you,  sir,  I  would  rather  strain 
the  regulation  than  deny  him." 

The  Prince  and  the  Colonel,  one  after 
the  other,  were  subjected  to  a  long  and  par- 
ticular interrogatory  :  the  Prince  alone  ; 
but  Geraldine  in  the  presence  of  the  Prince, 
so  that  the  President  might  observe  the 
countenance  of  the  one  while  the  other  was 
being  warmly  cross-examined.  The  result 
was  satisfactory ;  and  the  President,  after 
having  booked  a  few  details  of  each  case, 
produced  a  form  of  oath  to  be  accepted. 
Nothing  could  be  conceived  more  passive 
than  the  obedience  promised,  or  more 
stringent  than  the  terms  by  which  the  juror 
bound  himself.  The  man  who  forfeited  a 
pledge  so  awful  could  scarcely  have  a  rag  of 
honour  or  any  of  the  consolations  of  religion 
left  to  him.  Florizel  signed  the  document, 
but  not  without  a  shudder  ;  the  Colonel  fol- 
lowed his  example  with  an  air  of  great  de- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  35 

pression.  Then  the  President  received  the 
entry  money ;  and  without  more  ado,  intro- 
duced the  two  friends  into  the  smoking- 
room  of  the  Suicide  Club. 

The  smoking-room  of  the  Suicide  Club 
was  the  same  height  as  the  cabinet  into 
which  it  opened,  but  much  larger,  and 
papered  from  top  to  bottom  with  an  imita- 
tion of  oak  wainscot.  A  large  and  cheerful 
fire  and  a  number  of  gas-jets  illuminated  the 
company.  The  Prince  and  his  follower 
made  the  number  up  to  eighteen.  Most  of 
the  party  were  smoking,  and  drinking 
champagne  ;  a  feverish  hilarity  reigned, 
with  sudden  and  rather  ghastly  pauses. 

' '  Is  this  a  full  meeting  ?  ' '  asked  the 
Prince. 

"Middling,"  said  the  President.  "By 
the  way,"  he  added,  "if  you  have  any 
money,  it  is  usual  to  offer  some  champagne. 
It  keeps  up  a  good  spirit,  and  is  one  of  my 
own  little  perquisites." 

"  Hammersmith,"  said  Florizel,  "  I  may 
leave  the  champagne  to  you." 


36  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

And  with  that  he  turned  away  and  began 
to  go  round  among  the  guests.  Accustomed 
to  play  the  host  in  the  highest  circles,  he 
charmed  and  dominated  all  whom  he  ap- 
proached ;  there  was  something  at  once 
winning  and  authoritative  in  his  address  ; 
and  his  extraordinary  coolness  gave  him  yet 
another  distinction  in  this  half  maniacal  so- 
ciety. As  he  went  from  one  to  another  he 
kept  both  his  eyes  and  ears  open,  and  soon 
began  to  gain  a  general  idea  of  the  people 
among  whom  he  found  himself.  As  in  all 
other  places  of  resort,  one  type  predomi- 
nated :  people  in  the  prime  of  youth,  with 
every  show  of  intelligence  and  sensibility  in 
their  appearance,  but  with  little  promise  of 
strength  or  the  quality  that  makes  success. 
Few  were  much  above  thirty,  and  not  a  few 
were  still  in  their  teens.  They  stood,  lean- 
ing on  tables  and  shifting  on  their  feet ; 
sometimes  they  smoked  extraordinarily  fast, 
and  sometimes  they  let  their  cigars  go  out ; 
some  talked  well,  but  the  conversation  of 
others  was  plainly  the  result  of  nervous  ten- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  37 

sion,  and  was  equally  without  wit  or  purport. 
As  each  new  bottle  of  champagne  was  opened, 
there  was  a  manifest  improvement  in  gayety. 
Only  two  were  seated — one  in  a  chair  in  the 
recess  of  the  window,  with  his  head  hanging 
and  his  hands  plunged  deep  into  his  trouser 
pockets,  pale,  visibly  moist  with  perspira- 
tion, saying  never  a  word,  a  very  wreck  of 
soul  and  body  ;  the  other  sat  on  the  divan 
close  by  the  chimney,  and  attracted  notice 
by  a  trenchant  dissimilarity  from  all  the 
rest.  He  was  probably  upwards  of  forty, 
but  he  looked  fully  ten  years  older ;  and 
Florizel  thought  he  had  never  seen  a  man 
more  naturally  hideous,  nor  one  more  rav- 
aged by  disease  and  ruinous  excitements. 
He  was  no  more  than  skin  and  bone,  was 
partly  paralysed,  and  wore  spectacles  of 
such  unusual  power,  that  his  eyes  appeared 
through  the  glasses  greatly  magnified  and 
distorted  in  shape.  Except  the  Prince  and 
the  President,  he  was  the  only  person 'in 
the  room  who  preserved  the  composure  of 
ordinary  life. 


38  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

There  was  little  decency  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  club.  Some  boasted  of  the  dis- 
graceful actions,  the  consequences  of  which 
had  reduced  them  to  seek  refuge  in  death  ; 
and  the  others  listened  without  disapproval. 
There  was  a  tacit  understanding  against 
moral  judgments;  and  whoever  passed  the 
club  doors  enjoyed  already  some  of  the  im- 
munities of  the  tomb.  They  drank  to  each 
other's  memories,  and  to  those  of  notable 
suicides  in  the  past.  They  compared  and 
developed  their  different  views  of  death — 
some  declaring  that  it  was  no  more  than 
blackness  and  cessation ;  others  full  of  a 
hope  that  that  very  night  they  should  be 
scaling  the  stars  and  commercing  with  the 
mighty  dead. 

"To  the  eternal  memory  of  Baron 
Trenck,  the  type  of  suicides  !  "  cried  one. 
"  He  went  out  of  a  small  cell  into  a  smaller, 
that  he  might  come  forth  again  to  free- 
dom." 

"For  my  part,"  said  a  second,  "I  wish 
no  more  than  a  bandage  for  my  eyes  and 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  39 

cotton   for    my   ears.      Only    they  have  no 
cotton  thick  enough  in  this  world." 

A  third  was  for  reading  the  mysteries  of 
life  in  a  future  state  ;  and  a  fourth  professed 
that  he  would  never  have  joined  the  club,  if 
he  had  not  been  induced  to  believe  in  Mr. 
Darwin. 

"  I  could  not  bear,"  said  this  remarkable 
suicide,  "  to  be  descended  from  an  ape." 

Altogether,  the  Prince  was  disappointed 
by  the  bearing  and  conversation  of  the  mem- 
bers. 

"  It  does  not  seem  to  me,"  he  thought, 
"  a  matter  for  so  much  disturbance.  If  a 
man  has  made  up  his  mind  to  kill  himself, 
let  him  do  it,  in  God's  name,  like  a. gentle- 
man. This  flutter  and  big  talk  is  out  of 
place. ' ' 

In  the  meanwhile  Colonel  Geraldine  was 
a  prey  to  the  blackest  apprehensions;  the 
club  and  its  rules  were  still  a  mystery,  and 
he  looked  round  the  room  for  some  one 
who  should  be  able  to  set  his  mind  at  rest. 
In  this  survey  his  eye  lighted  on  the  para- 


40  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

lytic  person  with  the  strong  spectacles  ;  and 
seeing  him  so  exceedingly  tranquil,  he  be- 
sought the  President,  who  was  going  in  and 
out  of  the  room  under  a  pressure  of  busi- 
ness, to  present  him  to  the  gentleman  on 
the  divan. 

The  functionary  explained  the  needless- 
ness  of  all  such  formalities  within  the  club, 
but  nevertheless  presented  Mr.  Hammer- 
smith to  Mr.  Malthus. 

Mr.  Malthus  looked  at  the  Colonel  curi- 
ously, and  then  requested  him  to  take  a 
seat  upon  his  right. 

"  You  are  a  new-comer,"  he  said ;   "  and  * 
wish  information  ?     You  have  come  to  the 
proper  source.     It  is  two  years  since  I  first 
visited  this  charming  club." 

The  Colonel  breathed  again.  If  Mr. 
Malthus  had  frequented  the  place  for  two 
years  there  could  be  little  danger  for  the 
Prince  in  a  single  evening.  But  Geraldine 
was  none  the  less  astonished,  and  began  to 
suspect  a  mystification. 

"What!"    cried   he,     "two    years!     I 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  41 

thought — but  indeed  I  see  I  have  been 
made  the  subject  of  a  pleasantry. ' ' 

"By  no  means,"  replied  Mr.  Malthus 
mildly.  "  My  case  is  peculiar.  I  am  not, 
properly  speaking,  a  suicide  at  all ;  but,  as 
it  were,  an  honorary  member.  I  rarely 
visit  the  club  twice  in  two  months.  My 
infirmity  and  the  kindness  of  the  President 
have  procured  me  these  little  immunities, 
for  which  besides  I  pay  at  an  advanced 
rate.  Even  as  it  is  my  luck  has  been  ex- 
traordinary." 

"I  am  afraid,"  said  the  Colonel,  "that 
I  must  ask  you  to  be  more  explicit.  You 
must  remember  that  I  am  still  most  imper- 
fectly acquainted  with  the  rules  of  the 
club." 

"An  ordinary  member  who  comes  here 
in  search  of  death  like  yourself,"  replied 
the  paralytic,  "returns  every  evening  until 
fortune  favours  him.  He  can,  even  if  he  is 
penniless,  get  board  and  lodging  from  the 
President :  very  fair,  I  believe,  and  clean, 
although,  of  course,  not  luxurious ;  that 


42  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

could  hardly  be,  considering  the  exiguity  (if 
I  may  so  express  myself)  of  the  subscription. 
And  then  the  President's  company  is  a  deli- 
cacy in  itself." 

"Indeed!"  cried  Geraldine,  "he  had 
not  greatly  prepossessed  me. ' ' 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Mr.  Malthns,  "  you  do  not 
know  the  man :  the  drollest  fellow !  What 
stories  !  What  cynicism  !  He  knows  life 
to  admiration  and,  between  ourselves,  is 
probably  the  most  corrupt  rogue  in  Chris- 
tendom." 

"  And  he  also,"  asked  the  Colonel,  "  is  a 
permanency — like  yourself,  if  I  may  say  so 
without  offence  ?  ' ' 

"Indeed,  he  is  a  permanency  in  a  very 
different  sense  from  me,"  replied  Mr.  Mal- 
thus.  "  I  have  been  graciously  spared,  but 
I  must  go  at  last.  Now  he  never  plays. 
He  shuffles  and  deals  for  the  club,  and 
makes  the  necessary  arrangements.  That 
man,  my  dear  Mr.  Hammersmith,  is  the 
very  soul  of  ingenuity.  For  three  years  he 
has  pursued  in  London  his  useful  and,  I 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  43 

think  I  may  add,  his  artistic  calling ;  and  not 
so  much  as  a  whisper  of  suspicion  has  been 
once  aroused.  I  believe  him  myself  to  be 
inspired.  You  doubtless  remember  the  cele- 
brated case,  six  months  ago,  of  the  gentle- 
man who  was  accidentally  poisoned  in  a 
chemist's  shop?  That  was  one  of  the  least 
rich,  one  of  the  least  racy,  of  his  notions ; 
but  then,  how  simple  !  and  how  safe  !  " 

"You  astound  me,"  said  the  Colonel. 
' '  Was  that  unfortunate  gentleman  one  of 
the —  ' '  He  was  about  to  say  ' '  victims ; ' ' 
but  bethinking  himself  in  time,  he  substi- 
tuted—  ' '  members  of  the  club  ?  ' ' 

In  the  same  flash  of  thought  it  occurred 
to  him  that  Mr.  Malthus  himself  had  not  at 
all  spoken  in  the  tone  of  one  who  is  in  love 
with  death ;  and  he  added  hurriedly  : 

"But  I  perceive  I  am  still  in  the  dark. 
You  speak  of  shuffling  and  dealing ;  pray  for 
what  end  ?  And  since  you  seem  rather  un- 
willing to  die  than  otherwise,  I  must  own 
that  I  cannot  conceive  what  brings  you  here 
at  all." 


44  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

' '  You  say  truly  that  you  are  in  the  dark, ' ' 
replied  Mr.  Malthus  with  more  animation. 
"Why,  my  dear  sir,  this  club  is  the  temple 
of  intoxication.  If  my  enfeebled  health 
could  support  the  excitement  more  often, 
you  may  depend  upon  it  I  should  be  more 
often  here.  It  requires  all  the  sense  of  duty 
engendered  by  a  long  habit  of  ill-health  and 
careful  regimen,  to  keep  me  from  excess  in 
this,  which  is,  I  may  say,  my  last  dissipa- 
tion. I  have  tried  them  all,  sir,"  he  went 
on,  laying  his  hand  on  Geraldine's  arm, 
"all  without  exception,  and  I  declare  to 
you,  upon  my  honour,  there  is  not  one  of 
them  that  has  not  been  grossly  and  untruth- 
fully overrated.  People  trifle  with  love. 
Now,  I  deny  that  love  is  a  strong  passion. 
Fear  is  the  strong  passion ;  it  is  with  fear 
that  you  must  trifle,  if  you  wish  to  taste  the 
intense  joys  of  living.  Envy  me — envy  me, 
sir,"  he  added  with  a  chuckle,  "I  am  a 
coward  !  ' ' 

Geraldine  could  scarcely  repress  a  move- 
ment of  repulsion  for  this  deplorable  wretch ; 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  45 

but  he  commanded  himself  with  an  effort, 
and  continued  his  inquiries. 

"How,  sir,"  he  asked,  "is  the  excite- 
ment so  artfully  prolonged  ?  and  where  is 
there  any  element  of  uncertainty  ?  " 

"  I  must  tell  you  how  the  victim  for  every 
evening  is  selected,""  returned  Mr.  Malthus; 
"and  not  only  the  victim,  but  another 
member,  who  is  to  be  the  instrument  in  the 
club's  hands,  and  death's  high  priest  for 
that  occasion." 

"Good  God!"  said  the  Colonel,  "do 
they  then  kill  each  other  ?  ' ' 

"The  trouble  of  suicide  is  removed  in 
that  way,"  returned  Malthus  with  a  nod. 

"Merciful  Heavens!"  ejaculated  the 
Colonel,  "  and  may  you — may  I — may  the — 
my  friend,  I  mean — may  any  of  us  be  pitched 
upon  this  evening  as  the  slayer  of  another 
man's  body  and  immortal  spirit?  Can  such 
things  be  possible  among  men  born  of  wom- 
en ?  Oh  !  infamy  of  infamies  !  " 

He  was  about  to  rise  in  his  horror,  when 
he  caught  the  Prince's  eye.  It  was  fixed 


46  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

upon  him  from  across  the  room  with  a 
frowning  and  angry  stare.  And  in  a  mo- 
ment Geraldine  recovered  his  composure. 

"  After  all,"  he  added,  "  why  not?  And 
since  you  say  the  game  is  interesting,  vogue 
la  galere — I  follow  the  club  !  " 

Mr.  Malthus  had  keenly  enjoyed  the 
Colonel's  amazement  and  disgust.  He  had 
the  vanity  of  wickedness;  and  it  pleased 
him  to  see  another  man  give  way  to  a  gen- 
erous movement,  while  he  felt  himself,  in 
his  entire  corruption,  superior  to  such  emo- 
tions. 

"You  now,  after  your  first  moment  of 
surprise,"  said  he,  "are  in  a  position  to 
appreciate  the  delights  of  our  society.  You 
can  see  how  it  combines  the  excitement  of  a 
gaming-table,  a  duel,  and  a  Roman  amphi- 
theatre. The  Pagans  did  well  enough ;  I 
cordially  admire  the  refinement  of  their 
minds ;  but  it  has  been  reserved  for  a  Chris- 
tian country  to  attain  this  extreme,  this 
quintessence,  this  absolute  of  poignancy. 
You  will  understand  how  vapid  are  all 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  47 

amusements  to  a  man  who  has  acquired  a 
taste  for  this  one.  The  game  we  play,"  he 
continued,  "  is  one  of  extreme  simplicity. 
A  full  pack — but  I  perceive  you  are  about 
to  see  the  thing  in  progress.  Will  you  lend 
me  the  help  of  your  arm  ?  I  am  unfortu- 
nately paralysed." 

Indeed,  just  as  Mr.  Malthus  was  begin- 
ning his  description,  another  pair  of  folding- 
doors  was  thrown  open,  and  the  whole  club 
began  to  pass,  not  without  some  hurry,  into 
the  adjoining  room.  It  was  similar  in  every 
respect  to  the  one  from  which  it  was  en- 
tered, but  somewhat  differently  furnished. 
The  centre  was  occupied  by  a  long  green 
table,  at  which  the  President  sat  shuffling 
a  pack  of  cards  with  great  particularity. 
Even  with  the  stick  and  the  Colonel's  arm, 
Mr.  Malthus  walked  with  so  much  difficulty 
that  everyone  was  seated  before  this  pair 
and  the  Prince,  who  had  waited  for  them, 
entered  the  apartment ;  and,  in  consequence, 
the  three  took  seats  close  together  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  board. 


48  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"It  is  a  pack  of  fifty-two,"  whispered 
Mr.  Malthus.  "Watch  for  the  ace  of 
spades,  which  is  the  sign  of  death,  and  the 
ace  of  clubs,  which  designates  the  official  of 
the  night.  Happy,  happy  young  men!" 
he  added.  "You  have  good  eyes,  and  can 
follow  the  game.  Alas  !  I  cannot  tell  an 
ace  from  a  deuce  across  the  table. ' ' 

And  he  proceeded  to  equip  himself  with  a 
second  pair  of  spectacles. 

' '  I  must  at  least  watch  the  faces, ' '  he 
explained. 

The  Colonel  rapidly  informed  his  friend 
of  all  that  he  had  learned  from  the  honorary 
member,  and  of  the  horrible  alternative  that 
lay  before  them.  The  Prince  was  conscious 
of  a  deadly  chill  and  a  contraction  about  his 
heart ;  he  swallowed  with  difficulty,  and 
looked  from  side  to  side  like  a  man  in  a 
maze. 

"One  bold  stroke,"  whispered  the  Col- 
onel, "and  we  may  still  escape." 

But  the  suggestion  recalled  the  Prince's 
spirits. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  49 

"  Silence !  "  said  he.  "  Let  me  see  that 
you  can  play  like  a  gentleman  for  any  stake, 
however  serious." 

And  he  looked  about  him,  once  more  to 
all  appearance  at  his  ease,  although  his  heart 
beat  thickly,  and  he  was  conscious  of  an  un- 
pleasant heat  in  his  bosom.  The  members 
were  all  very  quiet  and  intent;  everyone 
was  pale,  but  none  so  pale  as  Mr.  Malthus. 
His  eyes  protruded ;  his  head  kept  nodding 
involuntarily  upon  his  spine;  his  hands 
found  their  way,  one  after  the  other,  to  his 
mouth,  where  they  made  clutches  at  his 
tremulous  and  ashen  lips.  It  was  plain  that 
the  honorary  member  enjoyed  his  member- 
ship on  very  startling  terms. 

"  Attention,  gentlemen  !  "  said  the  Presi- 
dent. 

And  he  began  slowly  dealing  the  cards 
about  the  table  in  the  reverse  direction, 
pausing  until  each  man  had  shown  his  card. 
Nearly  everyone  hesitated  ;  and  sometimes 
you  would  see  a  player's  fingers  stumble 
more  than  once  before  he  could  turn  over 
4 


SO  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

the  momentous  slip  of  pasteboard.  As  the 
Prince's  turn  drew  nearer,  he  was  conscious 
of  a  growing  and  almost  suffocating  excite- 
ment; but  he  had  somewhat  of  the  gam- 
bler's nature,  and  recognised  almost  with 
astonishment  that  there  was  a  degree  of 
pleasure  in  his  sensations.  The  nine  of  clubs 
fell  to  his  lot ;  the  three  of  spades  was  dealt 
to  Geraldine ;  and  the  queen  of  hearts  to 
Mr.  Malthus,  who  was  unable  to  suppress  a 
sob  of  relief.  The  young  man  of  the  cream 
tarts  almost  immediately  afterwards  turned 
over  the  ace  of  clubs,  and  remained  frozen 
with  horror,  the  card  still  resting  on  his 
finger;  he  had  not  come  there  to  kill,  but 
to  be  killed ;  and  the  Prince,  in  his  generous 
sympathy  with  his  position,  almost  forgot 
the  peril  that  still  hung  over  himself  and 
his  friend. 

The  deal  was  coming  round  again,  and 
still  Death's  card  had  not  come  out.  The 
players  held  their  respiration,  and  only 
breathed  by  gasps.  The  Prince  received 
another  club ;  Geraldine  had  a  diamond ; 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  51 

but  when  Mr.  Malthus  turned  up  his  card  a 
horrible  noise,  like  that  of  something  break- 
ing, issued  from  his  mouth ;  and  he  rose 
from  his  seat  and  sat  down  again,  with  no 
sign  of  his  paralysis.  It  was  the  ace  of 
spades.  The  honorary  member  had  trifled 
once  too  often  with  his  terrors. 

Conversation  broke  out  again  almost  at 
once.  The  players  relaxed  their  rigid  atti- 
tudes, and  began  to  rise  from  the  table  and 
stroll  back  by  twos  and  threes  into  the 
smoking-room.  The  President  stretched 
his  arms  and  yawned,  like  a  man  who  had 
finished  his  day's  work.  But  Mr.  Malthus 
sat  in  his  place,  with  his  head  in  his  hands, 
and  his  hands  upon  the  table,  drunk  and 
motionless — a  thing  stricken  down. 

The  Prince  and  Geraldine  made  their  es- 
cape at  once.  In  the  cold  night  air  their 
horror  of  what  they  had  witnessed  was  re- 
doubled. 

"  Alas  !  "  cried  the  Prince,  "to  be  bound 
by  an  oath  in  such  a  matter !  to  allow  this 
wholesale  trade  in  murder  to  be  continued 


52  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

with  profit  and  impunity !  If  I  but  dared 
to  forfeit  my  pledge  !  ' ' 

"  That  is  impossible  for  your  Highness," 
replied  the  Colonel,  "  whose  honour  is  the 
honour  of  Bohemia.  But  I  dare,  and  may 
with  propriety,  forfeit  mine." 

"Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  "if  your 
honour  suffers  in  any  of  the  adventures  into 
which  you  follow  me,  not  only  will  I  never 
pardon  you,  but — what  I  believe  will  much 
more  sensibly  affect  you — I  should  never 
forgive  myself." 

"I  receive  your  Highness's  commands," 
replied  the  Colonel.  "  Shall  we  go  from 
this  accursed  spot  ?  ' ' 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Prince.  "  Call  a  cab  in 
Heaven's  name,  and  let  me  try  to  forget  in 
slumber  the  memory  of  this  night's  disgrace. ' ' 

But  it  was  notable  that  he  carefully  read 
the  name  of  the  court  before  he  left  it. 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  the  Prince 
was  stirring,  Colonel  Geraldine  brought  him 
a  daily  newspaper,  with  the  following  para- 
graph marked : 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  53 

"  MELANCHOLY  ACCIDENT. — This  morn- 
ing, about  two  o'clock,  Mr.  Bartholomew 
Malthas,  of  16  Chepstow  Place,  Westbourne 
Grove,  on  his  way  home  from  a  party  at  a 
friend's  house,  fell  over  the  upper  parapet  in 
Trafalgar  Square,  fracturing  his  skull  and 
breaking  a  leg  and  an  arm.  Death  was  in- 
stantaneous. Mr.  Malthus,  accompanied  by 
a  friend,  was  engaged  in  looking  for  a  cab  at 
the  time  of  the  unfortunate  occurrence.  As 
Mr.  Malthus  was  paralytic,  it  is  thought  that 
his  fall  may  have  been  occasioned  by  another 
seizure.  The  unhappy  gentleman  was  well 
known  in  the  most  respectable  circles,  and  his 
loss  will  be  widely  and  deeply  deplored." 

"  If  ever  a  soul  went  straight  to  Hell," 
said  Geraldine  solemnly,  "  it  was  that  para- 
lytic man's." 

The  Prince  buried  his  face  in  his  hands, 
and  remained  silent. 

"I  am  almost  rejoiced,"  continued  the 
Colonel,  "  to  know  that  he  is  dead.  But 
for  our  young  man  of  the  cream  tarts  I  con- 
fess my  heart  bleeds." 


54  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  raising  his 
face,  "  that  unhappy  lad  was  last  night  as 
innocent  as  you  and  I ;  and  this  morning 
the  guilt  of  blood  is  on  his  soul.  When  I 
think  of  the  President,  my  heart  grows  sick 
within  me.  I  do  not  know  how  it  shall  be 
done,  but  I  shall  have  that  scoundrel  at  my 
mercy  as  there  is  a  God  in  heaven.  What 
an  experience,  what  a  lesson,  was  that  game 
of  cards  !  ' ' 

"  One,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  never  to  be 
repeated." 

The  Prince  remained  so  long  without  re- 
plying, that  Geraldine  grew  alarmed. 

"  You  cannot  mean  to  return,"  he  said. 
"  You  have  suffered  too  much,  and  seen  too 
much  horror  already.  The  duties  of  your 
high  position  forbid  the  repetition  of  the 
hazard." 

"There  is  much  in  what  you  say,"  re- 
plied Prince  Florizel,  "and  I  am  not  alto- 
gether pleased  with  my  own  determination. 
Alas !  in  the  clothes  of  the  greatest  poten- 
tate, what  is  there  but  a  man  ?  I  never  felt 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  55 

my  weakness  more  acutely  than  now,  Geral- 
dine, but  it  is  stronger  than  I.  Can  I  cease 
to  interest  myself  in  the  fortunes  of  the  un- 
happy young  man  who  supped  with  us  some 
hours  ago  ?  Can  I  leave  the  President  to 
follow  his  nefarious  career  unwatched  ?  Can 
I  begin  an  adventure  so  entrancing,  and 
not  follow  it  to  an  end  ?  No,  Geraldine  ; 
you  ask  of  the  Prince  more  than  the  man  is 
able  to  perform.  To-night,  once  more,  we 
take  our  places  at  the  table  of  the  Suicide 
Club." 

Colonel  Geraldine  fell  upon  his  knees. 

"  Will  your  Highness  take  my  life  ?  "  he 
cried.  "It  is  his — his  freely  ;  but  do  not, 
O  do  not !  let  him  ask  me  to  countenance 
so  terrible  a  risk. ' ' 

"  Colonel  Geraldine,"  replied  the  Prince, 
with  some  haughtiness  of  manner,  "  your 
life  is  absolutely  your  own.  I  only  looked 
for  obedience  ;  and  when  that  is  unwillingly 
rendered,  I  shall  look  for  that  no  longer.  I 
add  one  word  :  your  importunity  in  this  af- 
fair has  been  sufficient." 


56  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

The  Master  of  the  Horse  regained  his  feet 
at  once.  "Your  Highness,"  he  said,  "  may 
I  be  excused  in  my  attendance  this  afternoon  ? 
I  dare  not,  as  an  honourable  man,  venture  a 
second  time  into  that  fatal  house  until  I  have 
perfectly  ordered  my  affairs.  Your  High- 
ness shall  meet,  I  promise  him,  with  no 
more  opposition  from  the  most  devoted  and 
grateful  of  his  servants. ' ' 

"My  dear  Geraldine,"  returned  Prince 
Florizel,  "I  always  regret  when  you  oblige 
me  to  remember  my  fank.  Dispose  of  your 
day  as  you  think  fit,  but  be  here  before 
eleven  in  the  same  disguise. ' ' 

The  club,  on  this  second  evening,  was  not 
so  fully  attended  ;  and  when  Geraldine  and 
the  Prince  arrived,  there  were  not  above 
half-a-dozen  persons  in  the  smoking-room. 
His  Highness  took  the  President  aside  and 
congratulated  him  warmly  on  the  demise  of 
Mr.  Malthus. 

"  I  like,"  he  said,  "  to  meet  with  capac- 
ity, and  certainly  find  much  of  it  in  you. 
Your  profession  is  of  a  very  delicate  nature, 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  57 

but  I  see  you  are  well  qualified  to  conduct  it 
with  success  and  secrecy. ' ' 

The  President  was  somewhat  affected  by 
these  compliments  from  one  of  his  Highness's 
superior  bearing.  He  acknowledged  them 
almost  with  humility. 

"Poor  Malthy!"  he  added,  "  I  shall 
hardly  know  the  club  without  him.  The 
most  of  my  patrons  are  boys,  sir,  and  poeti- 
cal boys,  who  are  not  much  company  for  me. 
Not  but  what  Malthy  had  some  poetry,  too ; 
but  it  was  of  a  kind  that  I  could  under- 
stand." 

"I  can  readily  imagine  you  should  find 
yourself  in  sympathy  with  Mr.  Malthus," 
returned  the  Prince.  "  He  struck  me  as  a 
man  of  a  very  original  disposition." 

The  young  man  of  the  cream  tarts  was  in 
the  room,  but  painfully  depressed  and  silent. 
His  late  companions  sought  in  vain  to  lead 
him  into  conversation. 

"  How  bitterly  I  wish,"  he  cried,  "that 
I  had  never  brought  you  to  this  infamous 
abode  !  Begone,  while  you  are  •  clean- 


58  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

handed.  If  you  could  have  heard  the  old 
man  scream  as  he  fell,  and  the  noise  of  his 
bones  upon  the  pavement !  Wish  me,  if  you 
have  any  kindness  to  so  fallen  a  being — wish 
the  ace  of  spades  for  me  to-night !  " 

A  few  more  members  dropped  in  as  the 
evening  went  on,  but  the  club  did  not  mus- 
ter more  than  the  devil's  dozen  when  they 
took  their  places  at  the  table.  The  Prince 
was  again  conscious  of  a  certain  joy  in  his 
alarms ;  but  he  was  astonished  to  see  Ger- 
aldine  so  much  more  self-possessed  than  on 
the  night  before. 

"  It  is  extraordinary,"  thought  the  Prince, 
"  that  a  will,  made  or  unmade,  should  so 
greatly  influence  a  young  man's  spirit." 

"Attention,  gentlemen  !  "  said  the  Presi- 
dent, and  he  began  to  deal. 

Three  times  the  cards  went  all  round  the 
table,  and  neither  of  the  marked  cards  had 
yet  fallen  from  his  hand.  The  excitement 
as  he  began  the  fourth  distribution  was  over- 
whelming. There  were  just  cards  enough  to 
go  once  more  entirely  round.  The  Prince, 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  59 

who  sat  second  from  the  dealer's  left,  would 
receive,  in  the  reverse  mode  of  dealing  prac- 
tised at  the  club,  the  second  last  card.  The 
third  player  turned  up  a  black  ace — it  was 
the  ace  of  clubs.  The  next  received  a  dia- 
mond, the  next  a  heart,  and  so  on ;  but  the 
ace  of  spades  was  still  undelivered.  At  last 
Geraldine,  who  sat  upon  the  Prince's  left, 
turned  his  card  ;  it  was  an  ace,  but  the  ace 
of  hearts. 

When  Prince  Florizel  saw  his  fate  upon 
the  table  in  front  of  him,  his  heart  stood 
still.  He  was  a  brave  man,  but  the  sweat 
poured  off  his  face.  There  were  exactly 
fifty  chances  out  of  a  hundred  that  he  was 
doomed.  He  reversed  the  card ;  it  was  the 
ace  of  spades.  A  loud  roaring  filled  his 
brain,  and  the  table  swam  before  his  eyes. 
He  heard  the  player  on  his  right  break  into 
a  fit  of  laughter  that  sounded  between  mirth 
and  disappointment ;  he  saw  the  company 
rapidly  dispersing,  but  his  mind  was  full  of 
other  thoughts.  He  recognised  how  foolish, 
how  criminal,  had  been  his  conduct.  In 


60  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

perfect  health,  in  the  prime  of  his  years,  the 
heir  to  a  throne,  he  had  gambled  away  his 
future  and  that  of  a  brave  and  loyal  country. 
"God,"  he  cried,  "God  forgive  me!" 
And  with  that,  the  confusion  of  his  senses 
passed  away,  and  he  regained  his  self-posses- 
sion in  a  moment. 

To  his  surprise  Geraldine  had  disappeared. 
There  was  no  one  in  the  card-room  but  his 
destined  butcher  consulting  with  the  Presi- 
dent, and  the  young  man  of  the  cream  tarts, 
who  slipped  up  to  the  Prince  and  whispered 
in  his  ear  : 

"  I  would  give  a  million,  if  I  had  it,  for 
your  luck." 

His  Highness  could  not  help  reflecting,  as 
the  young  man  departed,  that  he  would  have 
sold  his  opportunity  for  a  much  more  moder- 
ate sum. 

The  whispered  conference  now  came  to 
an  end.  The  holder  of  the  ace  of  clubs  left 
the  room  with  a  look  of  intelligence,  and 
the  President,  approaching  the  unfortunate 
Prince,  proffered  him  his  hand. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  61 

"I  am  pleased  to  have  met  you,  sir," 
said  he,  ' '  and  pleased  to  have  been  in  a 
position  to  do  you  this  trifling  service.  At 
least,  you  cannot  complain  of  delay.  On 
the  second  evening — what  a  stroke  of  luck  !  ' ' 

The  Prince  endeavoured  in  vain  to  articu- 
late something  in  response,  but  his  mouth 
was  dry  and  his  tongue  seemed  paralysed. 

"You  feel  a  little  sickish?"  asked  the 
President,  with  some  show  of  solicitude. 
"  Most  gentlemen  do.  Will  you  take  a  lit- 
tle brandy?  " 

The  Prince  signified  in  the  affirmative,  and 
the  other  immediately  filled  some  of  the  spirit 
into  a  tumbler. 

"Poor  old  Malthy !  "  ejaculated  the 
President,  as  the  Prince  drained  the  glass. 
"  He  drank  near  upon  a  pint,  and  little 
enough  good  it  seemed  to  do  him  !  ' ' 

"  I  am  more  amenable  to  treatment,"  said 
the  Prince,  a  good  deal  revived.  "I  am 
my  own  man  again  at  once,  as  you  perceive. 
And  so,  let  me  ask  you,  what  are  my  direc- 
tions ?  ' ' 


62  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"You  will  proceed  along  the  Strand  in 
the  direction  of  the  City,  and  on  the  left- 
hand  pavement,  until  you  meet  the  gentle- 
man who  has  just  left  the  room.  He  will 
continue  your  instructions,  and  him  you  will 
have  the  kindness  to  obey  ;  the  authority  of 
the  club  is  vested  in  his  person  for  the  night. 
And  now,"  added  the  President,  "I  wish 
you  a  pleasant  walk. ' ' 

Florizel  acknowledged  the  salutation 
rather  awkwardly,  and  took  his  leave.  He 
passed  through  the  smoking-room,  where 
the  bulk  of  the  players  were  still  consuming 
champagne,  some  of  which  he  had  himself 
ordered  and  paid  for ;  and  he  was  surprised 
to  find  himself  cursing  them  in  his  heart. 
He  put  on  his  hat  and  great  coat  in  the  cab- 
inet, and  selected  his  umbrella  from  a  cor- 
ner. The  familiarity  of  these  acts,  and  the 
thought  that  he  was  about  them  for  the  last 
time,  betrayed  him  into  a  fit  of  laughter 
which  sounded  unpleasantly  in  his  own  ears. 
He  conceived  a  reluctance  to  leave  the  cabi- 
net, and  turned  instead  to  the  window.  The 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  63 

sight  of  the  lamps  and  the  darkness  recalled 
him  to  himself. 

"Come,  come,  I  must  be  a  man,"  he 
thought,  "and  tear  myself  away." 

At  the  corner  of  Box  Court  three  men  fell 
upon  Prince  Florizel  and  he  was  unceremoni- 
ously thrust  into  a  carriage,  which  at  once 
drove  rapidly  away.  There  was  already  an 
occupant. 

"  Will  your  Highness  pardon  my  zeal  ?  " 
said  a  well-known  voice. 

The  Prince  threw  himself  upon  the  Col- 
onel's neck  in  a  passion  of  relief. 

"  How  can  I  ever  thank  you  ?  "  he  cried. 
' '  And  how  was  this  effected  ?  ' ' 

Although  he  had  been  willing  to  march 
upon  his  doom,  he  was  overjoyed  to  yield  to 
friendly  violence,  and  return  once  more  to 
life  and  hope. 

"  You  can  thank  me  effectually  enough," 
replied  the  Colonel,  "  by  avoiding  all  such 
dangers  in  the  future.  And  as  for  your  sec- 
ond question,  all  has  been  managed  by  the 
simplest  means.  I  arranged  this  afternoon 


64  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

with  a  celebrated  detective.  Secrecy  has 
been  promised  and  paid  for.  Your  own 
servants  have  been  principally  engaged  in 
the  affair.  The  house  in  Box  Court  has 
been  surrounded  since  nightfall,  and  this, 
which  is  one  of  your  own  carriages,  has 
been  awaiting  you  for  nearly  an  hour. ' ' 

"  And  the  miserable  creature  who  was  to 
have  slain  me — what  of  him  ?  ' '  inquired 
the  Prince. 

"  He  was  pinioned  as  he  left  the  club," 
replied  the  Colonel,  "  and  now  awaits  your 
sentence  at  the  Palace,  where  he  will  soon  be 
joined  by  his  accomplices." 

"  Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  "you 
have  saved  me  against  my  explicit  orders, 
and  you  have  done  well.  I  owe  you  not 
only  my  life,  but  a  lesson  ;  and  I  should  be 
unworthy  of  my  rank  if  I  did  not  show  my- 
self grateful  to  my  teacher.  Let  it  be  yours 
to  choose  the  manner. ' ' 

There  was  a  pause,  during  which  the  car- 
riage continued  to  speed  through  the  streets, 
and  the  two  men  were  each  buried  in  his 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  65 

own  reflections.  The  silence  was  broken  by 
Colonel  Geraldine. 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  he,  "  has  by  this 
time  a  considerable  body  of  prisoners. 
There  is  at  least  one  criminal  among  the 
number  to  whom  justice  should  be  dealt. 
Our  oath  forbids  us  all  recourse  to  law ;  and 
discretion  would  forbid  it  equally  if  the  oath 
were  loosened.  May  I  inquire  your  High- 
ness's  intention  ?  " 

"It  is  decided,"  answered  Florizel ; 
"  the  President  must  fall  in  duel.  It  only 
remains  to  choose  his  adversary." 

"  Your  Highness  has  permitted  me  to 
name  my  own  recompense,"  said  the  Col- 
onel. "  Will  he  permit  me  to  ask  the  ap- 
pointment of  my  brother?  It  is  an  honour- 
able post,  but  I  dare  assure  your  Highness 
that  the  lad  will  acquit  himself  with  cred- 
it." 

"  You  ask  me  an  ungracious  favour,"  said 
the  Prince,  "  but  I  must  refuse  you  noth- 
ing." 

The  Colonel   kissed    his   hand  with    the 


66  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

greatest  affection ;  and  at  that  moment  the 
carriage  rolled  under  the  archway  of  the 
Prince's  splendid  residence. 

An  hour  after,  Florizel  in  his  official 
robes,  and  covered  with  all  the  orders  of 
Bohemia,  received  the  members  of  the  Sui- 
cide Club." 

" Foolish  and  wicked  men,"  said  he,  "as 
many  of  you  as  have  been  driven  into  this 
strait  by  the  lack  of  fortune  shall  receive 
employment  and  remuneration  from  my  of- 
ficers. Those  who  suffer  under  a  sense  of 
guilt  must  have  recourse  to  a  higher  and 
more  generous  Potentate  than  I.  I  feel  pity 
for  all  of  you,  deeper  than  you  can  imagine ; 
to-morrow  you  shall  tell  me  your  stories ; 
and  as  you  answer  more  frankly,  I  shall  be 
the  more  able  to  remedy  your  misfortunes. 
As  for  you,"  he  added,  turning  to  the  Presi- 
dent, "  I  should  only  offend  a  person  of 
your  parts  by  any  offer  of  assistance  ;  but  I 
have  instead  a  piece  of  diversion  to  propose 
to  you.  Here,"  laying  his  hand  on  the 
shoulder  of  Colonel  Geraldine's  young 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  67 

brother,  "  is  an  officer  of  mine  who  desires 
to  make  a  little  tour  upon  the  Continent ; 
and  I  ask  you,  as  a  favour,  to  accompany 
him  on  this  excursion.  Do  you,"  he  went 
on,  changing  his  tone,  "  do  you  shoot  well 
with  the  pistol  ?  Because  you  may  have 
need  of  that  accomplishment.  When  two 
men  go  travelling  together,  it  is  best  to  be 
prepared  for  all.  Let  me  add  that,  if  by 
any  chance  you  should  lose  young  Mr.  Ger- 
aldine  upon  the  way,  I  shall  always  have  an- 
other member  of  my  household  to  place  at 
your  disposal ;  and  I  am  known,  Mr.  Presi- 
dent, to  have  long  eyesight,  and  as  long  an 
arm." 

With  these  words,  said  with  much  stern- 
ness, the  Prince  concluded  his  address. 
Next  morning  the  members  of  the  club  were 
suitably  provided  for  by  his  munificence, 
and  the  President  set  forth  upon  his  travels, 
under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Geraldine,  and 
a  pair  of  faithful  and  adroit  lackeys,  well 
trained  in  the  Prince's  household.  Not 
content  with  this,  discreet  agents  were  put 


68  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

in  possession  of  the  house  of  Box  Court,  and 
all  letters  of  visitors  for  the  Suicide  Club  or 
its  officials  were  to  be  examined  by  Prince 
Florizel  in  person. 

Here  (says  my  Arabian  author)  ends  THE 
STORY  OF  THE  YOUNG  MAN  WITH  THE 
CREAM  TARTS,  who  is  now  a  comfortable 
householder  in  Wigmore  Street,  Cavendish 
Square.  The  number,  for  obvious  reasons,  I 
suppress.  Those  who  care  to  pursue  the  ad- 
ventures of  Prince  Florizel  and  the  President 
of  the  Suicide  Club,  may  read  the  HISTORY 
OF  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND  THE  SARATOGA 
TRUNK. 


STORY  OF  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND 
THE  SARATOGA  TRUNK 


STORY    OF   THE    PHYSICIAN    AND 
THE   SARATOGA   TRUNK 

MR.  SILAS  Q.  SCUDDAMORE  was  a  young 
American  of  a  simple  and  harmless  disposi- 
tion, which  was  the  more  to  his  credit  as  he 
came  from  New  England — a  quarter  of  the 
New  World  not  precisely  famous  for  those 
qualities.  Although  he  was  exceedingly 
rich,  he  kept  a  note  of  all  his  expenses  in  a 
little  paper  pocket-book;  and  he  had  chosen 
to  study  the  attractions  of  Paris  from  the 
seventh  story  of  what  is  called  a  furnished 
hotel,  in  the  Latin  Quarter.  There  was  a 
great  deal  of  habit  in  his  penuriousness ; 
and  his  virtue,  which  was  very  remarkable 
among  his  associates,  was  principally  found- 
ed upon  diffidence  and  youth. 

The  next  room  to  his  was  inhabited  by 
a  lady,  very  .attractive  in  her  air  and  very 


72  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

elegant  in  toilette,  whom,  on  his  first  arriv- 
al, he  had  taken  for  a  Countess.  In  course 
of  time  he  had  learned  that  she  was  known 
by  the  name  of  Madame  Zephyrine,  and 
that  whatever  station  she  occupied  in  life  it 
was  not  that  of  a  person  of  title.  Madame 
Zdphyrine,  probably  in  the  hope  of  en- 
chanting the  young  American,  used  to  flaunt 
by  him  on  the  stairs  with  a  civil  inclination, 
a  word  of  course,  and  a  knock-down  look 
out  of  her  black  eyes,  and  disappear  in  a 
rustle  of  silk,  and  with  the  revelation  of  an 
admirable  foot  and  ankle.  But  these  ad- 
vances, so  far  from  encouraging  Mr.  Scud- 
damore,  plunged  him  into  the  depths  of  de- 
pression and  bashfulness.  She  had  come  to 
him  several  times  for  a  light,  or  to  apologise 
for  the  imaginary  depredations  of  her  poo- 
dle ;  but  his  mouth  was  closed  in  the  pres- 
ence of  so  superior  a  being,  his  French 
promptly  left  him,  and  he  could  only  stare 
and  stammer  until  she  was  gone.  The 
slenderness  of  their  intercourse  did  not  pre- 
vent him  from  throwing  out  insinuations  of 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  73 

a  very  glorious  order  when  he  was  safely 
alone  with  a  few  males. 

The  room  on  the  other  side  of  the  Ameri- 
can's— for  there  were  three  rooms  on  a  floor 
in  the  hotel — was  tenanted  by  an  old  Eng- 
lish physician  of  rather  doubtful  reputation. 
Dr.  Noel,  for  that  was  his  name,  had  been 
forced  to  leave  London,  where  he  enjoyed  a 
large  and  increasing  practice ;  and  it  was 
hinted  that  the  police  had  been  the  instiga- 
tors of  this  change  of  scene.  At  least  he, 
who  had  made  something  of  a  figure  in  ear- 
lier life,  now  dwelt  in  the  Latin  Quarter  in 
great  simplicity  and  solitude,  and  devoted 
much  of  his  time  to  study.  Mr.  Scudda- 
more  had  made  his  acquaintance,  and  the 
pair  would  now  and  then  dine  together 
frugally  in  a  restaurant  across  the  street. 

Silas  Q.  Scuddamore  had  many  little  vices 
of  the  more  respectable  order,  and  was  not 
restrained  by  delicacy  from  indulging  them 
in  many  rather  doubtful  ways.  Chief 
among  his  foibles  stood  curiosity.  He  was 
a  born  gossip  ;  and  life,  and  especially  those 


74  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

parts  of  it  in  which  he  had  no  experience, 
interested  him  to  the  degree  of  passion.  He 
was  a  pert,  invincible  questioner,  pushing 
his  inquiries  with  equal  pertinacity  and  in- 
discretion ;  he  had  been  observed,  when  he 
took  a  letter  to  the  post,  to  weigh  it  in  his 
hand,  to  turn  it  over  and  over,  and  to  study 
the  address  with  care;  and  when  he  found  a 
flaw  in  the  partition  between  his  room  and 
Madame  Zephyrine's,  instead  of  filling  it  up, 
he  enlarged  and  improved  the  opening,  and 
made  use  of  it  as  a  spy -hole  on  his  neigh- 
bour's affairs. 

One  day,  in  the  end  of  March,  his  curios- 
ity growing  as  it  was  indulged,  he  enlarged 
the  hole  a  little  further,  so  that  he  might 
command  another  corner  of  the  room. 
That  evening,  when  he  went  as  usual  to  in- 
spect Madame  Zephyrine's  movements,  he 
was  astonished  to  find  the  aperture  obscured 
in  an  odd  manner  on  the  other  side,  and  still 
more  abashed  when  the  obstacle  was  sud- 
denly withdrawn  and  a  titter  of  laughter 
reached  his  ears.  Some  of  the  plaster  had 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  75 

evidently  betrayed  the  secret  of  his  spy -hole, 
and  his  neighbour  had  been  returning  the 
compliment  in  kind.  Mr.  Scuddamore  was 
moved  to  a  very  acute  feeling  of  annoyance ; 
he  condemned  Madame  Zephyrine  unmerci- 
fully ;  he  even  blamed  himself;  but  when 
he  found,  next  day,  that  she  had  taken  no 
means  to  baulk  him  of  his  favourite  pastime, 
he  continued  to  profit  by  her  carelessness, 
and  gratify  his  idle  curiosity. 

That  next  day  Madame  Zephyrine  received 
a  long  visit  from  a  tall,  loosely-built  man  of 
fifty  or  upwards,  whom  Silas  had  not  hither- 
to seen.  His  tweed  suit  and  coloured  shirt, 
no  less  than  his  shaggy  side-whiskers,  identi- 
fied him  as  a  Britisher,  and  his  dull  gray  eye 
affected  Silas  with  a  sense  of  cold.  He  kept 
screwing  his  mouth  from  side  to  side  and 
round  and  round  during  the  whole  colloquy, 
which  was  carried  on  in  whispers.  More 
than  once  it  seemed  to  the  young  New  Eng- 
lander  as  if  their  gestures  indicated  his  own 
apartment ;  but  the  only  thing  definite  he 
could  gather  by  the  most  scrupulous  atten- 


76  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

tion  was  this  remark  made  by  the  Eng- 
lishman in  a  somewhat  higher  key,  as  if 
in  answer  to  some  reluctance  or  opposi- 
tion. 

"  I  have  studied  his  taste  to  a  nicety,  and 
I  tell  you  again  and  again  you  are  the  only 
woman  of  the  sort  that  I  can  lay  my  hands 
on." 

In  answer  to  this,  Madame  Zephyrine 
sighed,  and  appeared  by  a  gesture  to  resign 
herself,  like  one  yielding  to  unqualified  au- 
thority. 

That  afternoon  the  observatory  was  finally 
blinded,  a  wardrobe  having  been  drawn  in 
front  of  it  upon  the  other  side,  and  while  Si- 
las was  still  lamenting  over  this  misfortune, 
which  he  attributed  to  the  Britisher's  malign 
suggestion,  the  concierge  brought  him  up  a 
letter  in  a  female  handwriting.  It  was  con- 
ceived in  French  of  no  very  rigorous  orthog- 
raphy, bore  no  signature,  and  in  the  most 
encouraging  terms  invited  the  young  Amer- 
ican to  be  present  in  a  certain  part  of  the 
Bullier  Ball  at  eleven  o'clock  that  night. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  77 

Curiosity  and  timidity  fought  a  long  battle 
in  his  heart ;  sometimes  he  was  all  virtue, 
sometimes  all  fire  and  daring ;  and  the  re- 
sult of  it  was  that,  long  before  ten,  Mr. 
Silas  Q.  Scuddamore  presented  himself  in 
unimpeachable  attire  at  the  door  of  the 
Bullier  Ball  Rooms,  and  paid  his  entry 
money  with  a  sense  of  reckless  deviltry  that 
was  not  without  its  charm. 

It  was  Carnival  time,  and  the  Ball  was 
very  full  and  noisy.  The  lights  and  the 
crowd  at  first  rather  abashed  our  young  ad- 
venturer, and  then,  mounting  to  his  brain 
with  a  sort  of  intoxication,  put  him  in  pos- 
session of  more  than  his  own  share  of  man- 
hood. He  felt  ready  to  face  the  devil,  and 
strutted  in  the  ballroom  with  the  swagger  of 
a  cavalier.  While  he  was  thus  parading,  he 
became  aware  of  Madame  Zephyrine  and 
her  Britisher  in  conference  behind  a  pillar. 
The  cat-like  spirit  of  eaves-dropping  over- 
came him  at  once.  He  stole  nearer  and 
nearer  on  the  couple  from  behind,  until  he 
was  within  earshot. 


78  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"  That  is  the  man,"  the  Britisher  was 
saying;  "there — with  the  long  blond  hair 
— speaking  to  a  girl  in  green." 

Silas  identified  a  very  handsome  young 
fellow  of  small  stature,  who  was  plainly  the 
object  of  this  designation. 

"It  is  well,"  said  Madame  Zephyrine. 
"  I  shall  do  my  utmost.  But,  remember, 
the  best  of  us  may  fail  in  such  a  matter. ' ' 

"Tut!"  returned  her  companion;  "I 
answer  for  the  result.  Have  I  not  chosen 
you  from  thirty  ?  Go ;  but  be  wary  of 
the  Prince.  I  cannot  think  what  cursed 
accident  has  brought  him  here  to-night. 
As  if  there  were  not  a  dozen  balls  in  Paris 
better  worth  his  notice  than  this  riot  of 
students  and  counter  -  jumpers  !  See  him 
where  he  sits,  more  like  a  reigning  Emperor 
at  home  than  a  Prince  upon  his  holidays  !  " 

Silas  was  again  lucky.  He  observed  a 
person  of  rather  a  full  build,  strikingly  hand- 
some, and  of  a  very  stately  and  courteous 
demeanour,  seated  at  table  with  another 
handsome  young  man,  several  years  his  jun- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  79 

ior,  who  addressed  him  with  conspicuous 
deference.  The  name  of  Prince  struck  grate- 
fully on  Silas's  Republican  hearing,  and  the 
aspect  of  the  person  to  whom  that  name  was 
applied  exercised  its  usual  charm  upon  his 
mind.  He  left  Madame  Zephyrine  and  her 
Englishman  to  take  care  of  each  other,  and 
threading  his  way  through  the  assembly, 
approached  the  table  which  the  Prince  and 
his  confidant  had  honoured  with  their 
choice. 

"  I  tell  you,  Geraldine,"  the  former  was 
saying,  "  the  action  is  madness.  Yourself 
(I  am  glad  to  remember  it)  chose  your 
Brother  for  this  perilous  service,  and  you  are 
bound  in  duty  to  have  a  guard  upon  his  con- 
duct. He  has  consented  to  delay  so  many 
days  in  Paris ;  that  was  already  an  impru- 
dence, considering  the  character  of  the  man 
he  has  to  deal  with  ;  but  now,  when  he  is 
within  eight  and  forty  hours  of  his  depart- 
ure, when  he  is  within  two  or  three  days  of 
the  decisive  trial,  I  ask  you,  is  this  a  place 
for  him  to  spend  his  time  ?  He  should  be 


So  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

in  a  gallery  at  practice ;  he  should  be  sleep- 
ing long  hours  and  taking  moderate  exercise 
on  foot ;  he  should  be  on  a  rigorous  diet, 
without  white  wines  or  brandy.  Does  the 
dog  imagine  we  are  all  playing  comedy? 
The  thing  is  deadly  earnest,  Geraldine." 

"I  know  the  lad  too  well  to  interfere," 
replied  Colonel  Geraldine,  "  and  well 
enough  not  to  be  alarmed.  He  is  more 
cautious  than  you  fancy,  and  of  an  indomi- 
table spirit.  If  it  had  been  a  woman  I 
should  not  say  so  much,  but  I  trust  the 
President  to  him  and  the  two  valets  without 
an  instant's  apprehension." 

"  I  am  gratified  to  hear  you  say  so,"  re- 
plied the  Prince  ;  "  but  my  mind  is  not  at 
rest.  These  servants  are  well-trained  spies, 
and  already  has  not  this  miscreant  succeeded 
three  times  in  eluding  their  observation  and 
spending  several  hours  on  end  in  private, 
and  most  likely  dangerous,  affairs?  An 
amateur  might  have  lost  him  by  accident, 
but  if  Rudolph  and  Jerome  were  thrown  off 
the  scent,  it  must  have  been  done  on  pur- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  81 

pose,  and  by  a  man  who  had  a  cogent 
reason  and  exceptional  resources." 

"  I  believe  the  question  is  now  one  be- 
tween my  brother  and  myself,"  replied  Ger- 
aldine,  with  a  shade  of  offence  in  his  tone. 

"  I  permit  it  to  be  so,  Colonel  Geraldine," 
returned  Prince  Florizel.  "  Perhaps,  for 
that  very  reason,  you  should  be  all  the  more 
ready  to  accept  my  counsels.  But  enough. 
That  girl  in  yellow  dances  well." 

And  the  talk  veered  into  the  ordinary 
topics  of  a  Paris  ballroom  in  the  Carnival. 

Silas  remembered  where  he  was,  and  that 
the  hour  was  already  near  at  hand  when  he 
ought  to  be  upon  the  scene  of  his  assignation. 
The  more  he  reflected  the  less  he  liked  the 
prospect,  and  as  at  that  moment  an  eddy 
in  the  crowd  began  to  draw  him  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  door,  he  suffered  it  to  carry 
him  away  without  resistance.  The  eddy 
stranded  him  in  a  corner  under  the  gallery, 
where  his  ear  was  immediately  struck  with 
the  voice  of  Madame  Zephyrine.  She  was 
speaking  in  French  with  the  young  man  of 


82  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

the  blond  locks  who  had  been  pointed  out 
by  the  strange  Britisher  not  half  an  hour  be- 
fore. 

"  I  have  a  character  at  stake,"  she  said, 
"  or  I  would  put  no  other  condition  than 
my  heart  recommends.  But  you  have  only 
to  say  so  much  to  the  porter,  and  he  will 
let  you  go  by  without  a  word." 

' '  But  why  this  talk  of  debt  ?  ' '  objected 
her  companion. 

"Heavens!  "  said  she,  "do  you  think  I 
do  not  understand  my  own  hotel  ?  ' ' 

And  she  went  by,  clinging  affectionately 
to  her  companion's  arm. 

This  put  Silas  in  mind  of  his  billet. 

"  Ten  minutes  hence,"  thought  he,  "  and 
I  may  be  walking  Avith  as  beautiful  a  woman 
as  that,  and  even  better  dressed — perhaps  a 
real  lady,  possibly  a  woman  of  title." 

And  then  he  remembered  the  spelling, 
and  was  a  little  downcast. 

"  But  it  may  have  been  written  by  her 
maid,"  he  imagined. 

The  clock  was  only  a  few  minutes  from 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  83 

X 

the  hour,  and  this  immediate  proximity  set 
his  heart  beating  at  a  curious  and  rather  dis- 
agreeable speed.  He  reflected  with  relief 
that  he  was  in  no  way  bound  to  put  in  an 
appearance.  Virtue  and  cowardice  were 
together,  and  he  made  once  more  for  the 
door,  but  this  time  of  his  own  accord,  and 
battling  against  the  stream  of  people  which 
was  now  moving  in  a  contrary  direction. 
Perhaps  this  prolonged  resistance  wearied 
him,  or  perhaps  he  was  in  that  frame  of 
mind  when  merely  to  continue  in  the  same 
determination  for  a  certain  number  of  min- 
utes produces  a  reaction  and  a  different  pur- 
pose. Certainly,  at  least,  he  wheeled  about 
for  a  third  time,  and  did  not  stop  until  he 
had  found  a  place  of  concealment  within  a 
few  yards  of  the  appointed  place. 

Here  he  went  through  an  agony  of  spirit, 
in  which  he  several  times  prayed  to  God  for 
help,  for  Silas  had  been  devoutly  educated. 
He  had  now  not  the  least  inclination  for  the 
meeting ;  nothing  kept  him  from  flight  but 
a  silly  fear  lest  he  should  be  thought  un- 


84  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

manly ;  but  this  was  so  powerful  that  it  kept 
head  against  all  other  motives ;  and  al- 
though it  could  not  decide  him  to  advance, 
prevented  him  from  definitely  running 
away.  At  last  the  clock  indicated  ten  min- 
utes past  the  hour.  Young  Scuddamore's 
spirit  began  to  rise ;  he  peered  round  the 
corner  and  saw  no  one  at  the  place  of  meet- 
ing; doubtless  his  unknown  correspondent 
had  wearied  and  gone  away.  He  became 
as  bold  as  he  had  formerly  been  timid.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  if  he  came  at  all  to  the 
appointment,  however  late,  he  was  clear 
from  the  charge  of  cowardice.  Nay,  now 
he  began  to  suspect  a  hoax,  and  actually 
complimented  himself  on  his  shrewdness  in 
having  suspected  and  out-manoeuvred  his 
mystifiers.  So  very  idle  a  thing  is  a  boy's 
mind  ! 

Armed  with  these  reflections,  he  advanced 
boldly  from  his  corner;  but  he  had  not 
taken  above  a  couple  of  steps  before  a  hand 
was  laid  upon  his  arm.  He  turned  and  be- 
held a  lady  cast  in  a  very  large  mould  and 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  85 

with  somewhat  stately  features,  but  bearing 
no  mark  of  severity  in  her  looks. 

"  I  see  that  you  are  a  very  self-confident 
lady-killer,"  said  she ;  "for  you  make  your- 
self expected.  But  I  was  determined  to 
meet  you.  When  a  woman  has  once  so  far 
forgotten  herself  as  to  make  the  first  ad- 
vance, she  has  long  ago  left  behind  her  all 
considerations  of  petty  pride." 

Silas  was  overwhelmed  by  the  size  and  at- 
tractions of  his  correspondent  and  the  sud- 
denness with  which  she  had  fallen  upon  him. 
But  she  soon  set  him  at  his  ease.  She  was 
very  towardly  and  lenient  in  her  behaviour  ; 
she  led  him  on  to  make  pleasantries,  and 
then  applauded  him  to  the  echo  ;  and  in  a 
very  short  time,  between  blandishments  and 
a  liberal  imbibition  of  warm  brandy,  she  had 
not  only  induced  him  to  fancy  himself  in 
love,  but  to  declare  his  passion  with  the 
greatest  vehemence. 

"Alas!"  she  said;  "I  do  not  know 
whether  I  ought  not  to  deplore  this  moment, 
great  as  is  the  pleasure  you  give  me  by  your 


86  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

words.  Hitherto  I  was  alone  to  suffer; 
now,  poor  boy,  there  will  be  two.  I  am 
not  my  own  mistress.  I  dare  not  ask  you 
to  visit  me  at  my  own  house,  for  I  am 
watched  by  jealous  eyes.  "Let  me  see," 
she  added  ;  "I  am  older  than  you,  although 
so  much  weaker ;  and  while  I  trust  in  your 
courage  and  determination,  I  must  employ 
my  own  knowledge  of  the  world  for  our 
mutual  benefit.  Where  do  you  live  ?  ' ' 

He  told  her  that  he  lodged  in  a  furnished 
hotel,  and  named  the  street  and  number. 

She  seemed  to  reflect  for  some  minutes, 
with  an  effort  of  mind. 

"  I  see,"  she  said  at  last.  "You  will  be 
faithful  and  obedient,  will  you  not?" 

Silas  assured  her  eagerly  of  his  fidelity. 

"  To-morrow  night,  then,"  she  continued, 
with  an  encouraging  smile,  ' '  you  must  re- 
main at  home  all  the  evening ;  and  if  any 
friends  should  visit  you,  dismiss  them  at 
once  on  any  pretext  that  most  readily  pre- 
sents itself.  Your  door  is  probably  shut  by 
ten?  "  she  asked. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  87 

"  By  eleven,"  answered  Silas. 

"  At  a  quarter  past  eleven,"  pursued  the 
lady,  "  leave  the  house.  Merely  cry  for 
the  door  to  be  opened,  and  be  sure  you  fall 
into  no  talk  with  the  porter,  as  that  might 
ruin  everything.  Go  straight  to  the  corner 
where  the  Luxembourg  Gardens  join  the 
Boulevard ;  there  you  will  find  me  waiting 
you.  I  trust  you  to  follow  my  advice  from 
point  to  point  :  and  remember,  if  you  fail 
me  in  only  one  particular,  you  will  bring 
the  sharpest  trouble  on  a  woman  whose  only 
fault  is  to  have  seen  and  loved  you." 

"  I  cannot  see  the  use  of  all  these  instruc- 
tions," said  Silas. 

"  I  believe  you  are  already  beginning  to 
treat  me  as  a  master,"  she  cried,  tapping 
him  with  her  fan  upon  the  arm.  "  Patience, 
patience !  that  should  come  in  time.  A 
woman  loves  to  be  obeyed  at  first,  although 
afterwards  she  finds  her  pleasure  in  obeying. 
Do  as  I  ask  you,  for  Heaven's  sake,  or  I  will 
answer  for  nothing.  Indeed,  now  I  think 
of  it,"  she  added,  with  the  manner  of  one 


88  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

who  had  just  seen  further  into  a  difficulty, 
"  I  find  a  better  plan  of  keeping  importu- 
nate visitors  away.  Tell  the  porter  to  ad- 
mit no  one  for  you,  except  a  person  who 
may  come  that  night  to  claim  a  debt ;  and 
speak  with  some  feeling,  as  though  you 
feared  the  interview,  so  that  he  may  take 
your  words  in  earnest." 

"  I  think  you  may  trust  me  to  protect 
myself  against  intruders,"  he  said,  not  with- 
out a  little  pique. 

"  That  is  how  I  should  prefer  the  thing 
arranged,"  she  answered,  coldly.  "  I  know 
you  men ;  you  think  nothing  of  a  woman's 
reputation." 

Silas  blushed  and  somewhat  hung  his 
head ;  for  the  scheme  he  had  in  view  had 
involved  a  little  vain-glorying  before  his  ac- 
quaintances. 

"Above  all,"  she  added,  "do  not  speak 
to  the  porter  as  you  come  out." 

"And  why?"  said  he.  "Of  all  your 
instructions,  that  seems  to  me  the  least  im- 
portant." 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  89 

"  You  at  first  doubted  the  wisdom  of 
some  of  the  others,  which  you  now  see  to 
be  very  necessary,"  she  replied.  "Believe 
me,  this  also  has  its  uses ;  in  time  you  will 
see  them ;  and  what  am  I  to  think  of  your 
affection,  if  you  refuse  me  such  trifles  at  our 
first  interview?" 

Silas  confounded  himself  in  explanations 
and  apologies;  in  the  middle  of  these  she 
looked  up  at  the  clock  and  clapped  her 
hands  together  with  a  suppressed  scream. 

"  Heavens  !  "  she  cried,  "  is  it  so  late? 
I  have  not  an  instant  to  lose.  Alas,  we  poor 
women,  what  slaves  we  are  !  What  have  I 
not  risked  for  you  already  ?  ' ' 

And  after  repeating  her  directions,  which 
she  artfully  combined  with  caresses  and  the 
most  abandoned  looks,  she  bade  him  fare- 
well and  disappeared  among  the  crowd. 

The  whole  of  the  next  day  Silas  was  filled 
with  a  sense  of  great  importance  ;  he  was 
now  sure  she  was  a  countess;  and  when 
evening  came  he  minutely  obeyed  her  orders 
and  was  at  the  corner  of  the  Luxembourg 


90  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

Gardens  by  the  hour  appointed.  No  one 
was  there.  He  waited  nearly  half  an  hour, 
looking  in  the  face  of  everyone  who  passed 
or  loitered  near  the  spot ;  he  even  visited 
the  neighbouring  corners  of  the  Boulevard 
and  made  a  complete  circuit  of  the  garden 
railings  ;  but  there  was  no  beautiful  count- 
ess to  throw  herself  into  his  arms.  At  last, 
and  most  reluctantly,  he  began  to  retrace 
his  steps  towards  his  hotel.  On  the  way  he 
remembered  the  words  he  had  heard  pass 
between  Madame  Zephyrine  and  the  blond 
young  man,  and  they  gave  him  an  indefinite 
uneasiness. 

"It  appears,"  he  reflected,  "that  every- 
one has  to  tell  lies  to  our  porter. ' ' 

He  rang  the  bell,  the  door  opened  before 
him,  and  the  porter  in  his  bed-clothes  came 
to  offer  him  a  light. 

"  Has  he  gone  ?  "   inquired  the  porter. 

"He?  Whom  do  you  mean?"  asked 
Silas,  somewhat  sharply,  for  he  was  irritated 
by  his  disappointment. 

"  I    did    not   notice   him   go  out,"  con- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  91 

tinued  the  porter,  "but  I  trust  you  paid 
him.  We  do  not  care,  in  this  house,  to 
have  lodgers  who  cannot  meet  their  liabili- 
ties." 

"What  the  devil  do  you  mean?"  de- 
manded Silas,  rudely.  "  I  cannot  under- 
stand a  word  of  this  farrago." 

' '  The  short  blond  young  man  who  came 
for  his  debt,"  returned  the  other.  "  Him 
it  is  I  mean.  Who  else  should  it  be,  when 
I  had  your  orders  to  admit  no  one  else  ?  " 

''Why,  good  God,  of  course  he  never 
came,"  retorted  Silas. 

"  I  believe  what  I  believe,"  retorted  the 
porter,  putting  his  tongue  into  his  cheek 
with  a  most  roguish  air. 

"You  are  an  insolent  scoundrel,"  cried 
Silas,  and,  feeling  that  he  had  made  a  ri- 
diculous exhibition  of  asperity,  and  at  the 
same  time  bewildered  by  a  dozen  alarms, 
he  turned  and  began  to  run  up  stairs. 

"  Do  you  not  want  a  light  then  ?  "  cried 
the  porter. 

But  Silas  only  hurried  the  faster,  and  did 


92  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

not  pause  until  he  had  reached  the  seventh 
landing  and  stood  in  front  of  his  own  door. 
There  he  waited  a  moment  to  recover  his 
breath,  assailed  by  the  worst  forebodings  and 
almost  dreading  to  enter  the  room. 

When  at  last  he  did  so  he  was  relieved  to 
find  it  dark,  and  to  all  appearance  unten- 
anted.  He  drew  a  long  breath.  Here  he 
was,  home  again  in  safety,  and  this  should 
be  his  last  folly  as  certainly  as  it  had  been 
his  first.  The  matches  stood  on  a  little 
table  by  the  bed,  and  he  began  to  grope  his 
way  in  that  direction.  As  he  moved,  his 
apprehensions  grew  upon  him  once  more, 
and  he  was  pleased,  when  his  foot  encoun- 
tered an  obstacle,  to  find  it  nothing  more 
alarming  than  a  chair.  At  last  he  touched 
curtains.  From  the  position  of  the  win- 
dow, which  was  faintly  visible,  he  knew  he 
must  be  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  had  only 
to  feel  his  way  along  it  in  order  to  reach  the 
table  in  question. 

He  lowered  his  hand,  but  what  he 
touched  was  not  simply  a  counterpane — it 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  93 

was  a  counterpane  with  something  under- 
neath it  like  the  outline  of  a  human  leg. 
Silas  withdrew  his  arm  and  stood  a  mo- 
ment petrified. 

"What,  what,"  he  thought,  "can  this 
betoken?  " 

He  listened  intently,  but  .there  was  no 
sound  of  breathing.  Once  more,  with  a 
great  effort,  he  reached  out  the  end  of  his 
finger  to  the  spot  he  had  already  touched  ; 
but  this  time  he  leaped  back  half  a  yard, 
and  stood  shivering  and  fixed  with  terror. 
There  was  something  in  his  bed.  What  it 
was  he  knew  not,  but  there  was  something 
there. 

It  was  some  seconds  before  he  could 
move.  Then,  guided  by  an  instinct,  he 
fell  straight  upon  the  matches,  and  keeping 
his  back  toward  the  bed,  lighted  a  candle. 
As  soon  as  the  flame  had  kindled,  he  turned 
slowly  round  and  looked  for  what  he  feared 
to  see.  Sure  enough,  there  was  the  worst 
of  his  imaginations  realised.  The  coverlid 
was  drawn  carefully  up  over  the  pillow,  but 


94  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

it  moulded  the  outline  of  a  human  body 
lying  motionless  ;  and  when  he  dashed  for- 
ward and  flung  aside  the  sheets,  he  beheld 
the  blond  young  man  whom  he  had  seen  in 
the  Bullier  Ball  the  night  before,  his  eyes 
open  and  without  speculation,  his  face  swol- 
len and  blackened,  and  a  thin  stream  of 
blood  trickling  from  his  nostrils. 

Silas  uttered  a  long  tremulous  wail, 
dropped  the  candle,  and  fell  on  his  knees 
beside  the  bed. 

Silas  was  awakened  from  the  stupor  into 
which  his  terrible  discovery  had  plunged 
him,  by  a  prolonged  but  discreet  tapping  at 
the  door.  It  took  him  some  seconds  to  re- 
member his  position  ;  and  when  he  hastened 
to  prevent  anyone  from  entering  it  was  al- 
ready too  late.  Dr.  Noel,  in  a  tall  night- 
cap, carrying  a  lamp  which  lighted  up  his 
long  white  countenance,  sidling  in  his  gait, 
and  peering  and  cocking  his  head  like 
some  sort  of  bird,  pushed  the  door  slowly 
open,  and  advanced  into  the  middle  of  the 
room. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  95 

"I  thought  I  heard  a  cry,"  began  the 
Doctor,  "  and  fearing  you  might  be  unwell, 
I  did  not  hesitate  to  offer  this  intrusion." 

Silas,  with  a  flushed  face  and  a  fearful 
beating  heart,  kept  between  the  Doctor  and 
the  bed  ;  but  he  found  no  voice  to  answer. 

"You  are  in  the  dark,"  pursued  the  Doc- 
tor; "  and  yet  you  have  not  even  begun  to 
prepare  for  rest.  You  will  not  easily  per- 
suade me  against  my  own  eyesight  ;  and 
your  face  declares  most  eloquently  that  you 
require  either  a  friend  or  a  physician — 
which  is  it  to  be  ?  Let  me  feel  your  pulse, 
for  that  is  often  a  just  reporter  of  the 
heart." 

He  advanced  to  Silas,  who  still  retreated 
before  him  backwards,  and  sought  to  take 
him  by  the  wrist ;  but  the  strain  on  the 
young  American's  nerves  had  become  too 
great  for  endurance.  He  avoided  the  Doc- 
tor with  a  febrile  movement,  and,  throwing 
himself  upon  the  floor,  burst  into  a  flood  of 
weeping. 

As  soon  as  Dr.  Noel  perceived  the  dead 


96  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

man  in  the  bed  his  face  darkened ;  and 
hurrying  back  to  the  door  which  he  had  left 
ajar,  he  hastily  closed  and  double-locked  it. 

"Up!"  he  cried,  addressing  Silas  in 
strident  tones.  "  This  is  no  time  for  weep- 
ing. What  have  you  done?  How  came 
this  body  in  your  room  ?  Speak  freely  to 
one  who  may  be  helpful.  Do  you  imagine 
I  would  ruin  you?  Do  you  think  this 
piece  of  dead  flesh  on  your  pillow  can  alter 
in  any  degree  the  sympathy  with  which  you 
have  inspired  me  ?  Credulous  youth,  the 
horror  with  which  blind  and  unjust  law  re- 
gards an  action  never  attaches  to  the  doer 
in  the  eyes  of  those  who  love  him  ;  and  if  I 
saw  the  friend  of  my  heart  return  to  me  out 
of  seas  of  blood  he  would  be  in  no  way 
changed  in  my  affection.  Raise  yourself," 
he  said;  "good  and  ill  are  a  chimera; 
there  is  naught  in  life  except  destiny,  and 
however  you  may  be  circumstanced  there  is 
one  at  your  side  who  will  help  you  to  the 
last." 

Thus  encouraged,  Silas  gathered  himself 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  97 

together,  and  in  a  broken  voice,  and  helped 
out  by  the  Doctor's  interrogations,  con- 
trived at  last  to  put  him  in  possession  of  the 
facts.  But  the  conversation  between  the 
Prince  and  Geraldine  he  altogether  omitted, 
as  he  had  understood  little  of  its  purport, 
and  had  no  idea  that  it  was  in  any  way  re- 
lated to  his  own  misadventure. 

"Alas!"  cried  Dr.  Noel,  "I  am  much 
abused,  or  you  have  fallen  innocently  into 
the  most  dangerous  hands  in  Europe.  Poor 
boy,  what  a  pit  has  been  dug  for  your  sim- 
plicity !  into  what  a  deadly  peril  have  your 
unwary  feet  been  conducted  !  This  man," 
he  said,  "  this  Englishman,  whom  you 
twice  saw,  and  whom  I  suspect  to  be  the 
soul  of  the  contrivance,  can  you  describe 
him  ?  Was  he  young  or  old  ?  tall  or 
short?" 

But  Silas,  who,  for  all  his  curiosity,  had 
not  a  seeing  eye  in  his  head,  was  able  to 
supply  nothing  but  meagre  generalities, 
which  it  was  impossible  to  recognise. 

"  I  would  have  it  a  piece  of  education  in 
7 


98  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

all  schools  !  "  cried  the  Doctor  angrily. 
"  Where  is  the  use  of  eyesight  and  articu- 
late speech  if  a  man  cannot  observe  and 
recollect  the  features  of  his  enemy  ?  I,  who 
know  all  the  gangs  of  Europe,  might  have 
identified  him,  and  gained  new  weapons 
for  your  defence.  Cultivate  this  art  in  fut- 
ure, my  poor  boy  ;  you  may  find  it  of  mo- 
mentous service. ' ' 

"  The  future  !  "  repeated  Silas.  "  What 
future  is  there  left  for  me  except  the  gal- 
lows?" 

"Youth  is  but  a  cowardly  season,"  re- 
turned the  Doctor;  "and  a  man's  own 
troubles  look  blacker  than  they  are.  I  am 
old,  and  yet  I  never  despair." 

"  Can  I  tell  such  a  story  to  the  police?  " 
demanded  Silas. 

"  Assuredly  not,"  replied  the  Doctor. 
"  From  what  I  see  already  of  the  machina- 
tion in  which  you  have  been  involved,  your 
case  is  desperate  upon  that  side ;  and  for 
the  narrow  eye  of  the  authorities  you  are  in- 
fallibly the  guilty  person.  And  remember 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  99 

that  we  only  know  a  portion  of  the  plot ; 
and  the  same  infamous  contrivers  have 
doubtless  arranged  many  other  circum- 
stances which  would  be  elicited  by  a  police 
inquiry,  and  help  to  fix  the  guilt  more  cer- 
tainly upon  your  innocence." 

"  I  am  then  lost,  indeed  !  "  cried  Silas. 

"  I  have  not  said  so,"  answered  Dr.  Noel, 
"for  I  am  a  cautious  man." 

"But  look  at  this!"  objected  Silas, 
pointing  to  the  body.  "  Here  is  this  object 
in  my  bed :  not  to  be  explained,  not  to  be 
disposed  of,  not  to  be  regarded  without 
horror." 

"Horror?"  replied  the  Doctor.  "No. 
When  this  sort  of  clock  has  run  down,  it  is 
no  more  to  me  than  an  ingenious  piece  of 
mechanism,  to  be  investigated  with  the 
bistoury.  When  blood  is  once  cold  and 
stagnant,  it  is  no  longer  human  blood ; 
when  flesh  is  once  dead,  it  is  no  longer  that 
flesh  which  we  desire  in  our  lovers  and  re- 
spect in  our  friends.  The  grace,  the  attrac- 
tion, the  terror,  have  all  gone  from  it  with 


ioo  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

the  animating  spirit.  Accustom  yourself  to 
look  upon  it  with  composure,  for  if  my 
scheme  is  practicable  yoja  will  have  to  live 
in  constant  proximity  to  that  which  now  so 
greatly  horrifies  you." 

"Your  scheme?"  cried  Silas.  "What 
is  that?  Tell  me  speedily,  Doctor;  for  I 
have  scarcely  courage  enough  to  continue  to 
exist." 

Without  replying,  Dr.  Noel  turned  tOAv- 
ards  the  bed,  and  proceeded  to  examine  the 
corpse. 

"  Quite  dead,"  he  murmured.  "Yes,  as 
I  had  supposed,  the  pockets  empty.  Yes, 
and  the  name  cut  off  the  shirt.  Their  work 
has  been  done  thoroughly  and  well.  Fortu- 
nately he  is  of  small  stature. ' ' 

Silas  followed  these  words  with  an  ex- 
treme anxiety.  At  last  the  Doctor,  his  au- 
topsy completed,  took  a  chair  and  addressed 
the  young  American  with  a  smile. 

"Since  I  came  into  your  room,"  said  he, 
' '  although  my  ears  and  my  tongue  have 
been  so  busy,  I  have  not  suffered  my  eyes  to 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  101 

remain  idle.  I  noted  a  little  while  ago  that 
you  have  there,  in  the  corner,  one  of  those 
monstrous  constructions  which  your  fellow- 
countrymen  carry  with  them  into  all  quar- 
ters of  the  globe — in  a  word,  a  Saratoga 
trunk.  Until  this  moment  I  have  never 
been  able  to  conceive  the  utility  of  these 
erections ;  but  then  I  began  to  have  a  glim- 
mer. Whether  it  was  for  convenience  in 
the  slave  trade,  or  to  obviate  the  results  of 
too  ready  an  employment  of  the  bowie- 
knife,  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  decide.  But 
one  thing  I  see  plainly — the  object  of  such 
a  box  is  to  contain  a  human  body. ' ' 

"Surely,"  cried  Silas,  "surely  this  is 
not  a  time  for  jesting." 

"Although  I  may  express  myself  with 
some  degree  of  pleasantry,"  replied  the 
Doctor,  ' '  the  purport  of  my  words  is  en- 
tirely serious.  And  the  first  thing  we  have 
to  do,  my  young  friend,  is  to  empty  your 
coffer  of  all  it  contains." 

Silas,  obeying  the  authority  of  Doctor 
Noel,  put  himself  at  his  disposition.  The 


102  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

Saratoga  trunk  was  soon  gutted  of  its  con- 
tents, which  made  a  considerable  litter  on 
the  floor ;  and  then — Silas  taking  the  heels 
and  the  Doctor  supporting  the  shoulders — 
the  body  of  the  murdered  man  was  carried 
from  the  bed,  and,  after  some  difficulty, 
doubled  up  and  inserted  whole  into  the 
empty  box.  With  an  effort  on  the  part  of 
both,  the  lid  was  forced  down  upon  this 
unusual  baggage,  and  the  trunk  was  locked 
and  corded  by  the  Doctor's  own  hand, 
while  Silas  disposed  of  what  had  been 
taken  out  between  the  closet  and  a  chest 
of  drawers. 

"Now,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  the  first  step 
has  been  taken  on  the  way  to  your  deliver- 
ance. To-morrow  or  rather  to-day,  it  must 
be  your  task  to  allay  the  suspicions  of  your 
porter,  paying  him  all  that  you  owe ;  while 
you  may  trust  me  to  make  the  arrangements 
necessary  to  a  safe  conclusion.  Meantime, 
follow  me  to  my  room,  where  I  shall  give 
you  a  safe  and  powerful  opiate;  for,  what- 
ever you  do,  you  must  have  rest." 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  103 

The  next  day  was  the  longest  in  Silas's 
memory ;  it  seemed  as  if  it  would  never  be 
done.  He  denied  himself  to  his  friends, 
and  sat  in  a  corner  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  Saratoga  trunk  in  dismal  contemplation. 
His  own  former  indiscretions  were  now  re- 
turned upon  him  in  kind ;  for  the  observa- 
tory had  been  once  more  opened,  and  he 
was  conscious  of  an  almost  continual  study 
from  Madame  Zephyrine's  apartment.  So 
distressing  did  this  become,  that  he  was  at 
last  obliged  to  block  up  the  spy -hole  from 
his  own  side ;  and  when  he  was  thus  secured 
from  observation  he  spent  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  time  in  contrite  tears  and 
prayer. 

Late  in  the  evening  Dr.  Noel  entered  the 
room  carrying  in  his  hand  a  pair  of  sealed 
envelopes  without  address,  one  somewhat 
bulky,  and  the  other  so  slim  as  to  seem 
without  enclosure. 

"Silas,"  he  said,  seating  himself  at  the 
table,  "the  time  has  now  come  for  me  to 
explain  my  plan  for  your  salvation.  To- 


104  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

morrow  morning,  at  an  early  hour,  Prince 
Florizel  of  Bohemia  returns  to  London,  after 
having  diverted  himself  for  a  few  days  with 
the  Parisian  Carnival.  It  was  my  fortune, 
a  good  while  ago,  to  do  Colonel  Geraldine, 
his  Master  of  the  Horse,  one  of  those  ser- 
vices so  common  in  my  profession,  which 
are  never  forgotten  upon  either  side.  I 
have  no  need  to  explain  to  you  the  nature 
of  the  obligation  under  which  he  was  laid ; 
suffice  it  to  say  that  I  knew  him  ready  to 
serve  me  in  any  practicable  manner.  Now, 
it  was  necessary  for  you  to  gain  London  with 
your  trunk  unopened.  To  this  the  Custom 
House  seemed  to  oppose  a  fatal  difficulty; 
but  I  bethought  me  that  the  baggage  of  so 
considerable  a  person  as  the  Prince,  is,  as  a 
matter  of  courtesy,  passed  without  examina- 
tion by  the  officers  of  Custom.  I  applied 
to  Colonel  Geraldine,  and  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  favourable  answer.  To-morrow, 
if  you  go  before  six  to  the  hotel  where  the 
Prince  lodges,  your  baggage  will  be  passed 
over  as  a  part  of  his,  and  you  yourself  will 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  105 

make    the    journey   as    a    member   of    his 
suite. ' ' 

"  It  seems  to  me,  as  you  speak,  that  I  have 
already  seen  both  the  Prince  and  Colonel 
Geraldine ;  I  even  overheard  some  of  their 
conversation  the  other  evening  at  the  Bullier 
Ball." 

v 

"It  is  probable  enough;  for  the  Prince 
loves  to  mix  with  all  societies,"  replied  the 
Doctor.  "  Once  arrived  in  London,"  he 
pursued,  "  your  task  is  nearly  ended.  In 
this  more  bulky  envelope  I  have  given  you 
a  letter  which  I  dare  not  address  ;  but  in 
the  other  you  will  find  the  designation  of 
the  house  to  which  you  must  carry  it  along 
with  your  box,  which  will  there  be  taken 
from  you  and  not  trouble  you  any  more." 

"Alas  !  "  said  Silas,  "  I  have  every  wish 
to  believe  you;  but  how  is  it  possible? 
You  open  up  to  me  a  bright  prospect,  but, 
I  ask  you,  is  my  mind  capable  of  receiving  so 
unlikely  a  solution  ?  Be  more  generous,  and 
let  me  farther  understand  your  meaning." 

The  Doctor  seemed  painfully  impressed. 


106  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"  Boy,"  he  answered,  "  you  do  not  know 
how  hard  a  thing  you  ask  of  me.  But  be  it 
so.  I  am  now  inured  to  humiliation  ;  and 
it  would  be  strange  if  I  refused  you  this, 
after  having  granted  you  so  much.  Know, 
then,  that  although  I  now  make  so  quiet  an 
appearance  —  frugal,  solitary,  addicted  to 
study — when  I  was  younger,  my  name  was 
once  a  rallying-cry  among  the  most  astute 
and  dangerous  spirits  of  London  ;  and  while 
I  was  outwardly  an  object  for  respect  and 
consideration,  my  true  power  resided  in  the 
most  secret,  terrible,  and  criminal  relations. 
It  is  to  one  of  the  persons  who  then  obeyed 
me  that  I  now  address  myself  to  deliver  you 
from  your  burden.  They  were  men  of 
many  different  nations  and  dexterities,  all 
bound  together  by  a  formidable  oath,  and 
working  to  the  same  purposes ;  the  trade  of 
the  association  was  in  murder ;  and  I  who 
speak  to  you,  innocent  as  I  appear,  was  the 
chieftain  of  this  redoubtable  crew. ' ' 

"What?"  cried  Silas.  "A  murderer? 
And  one  with  whom  murder  was  a  trade? 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  107 

Can  I  take  your  hand  ?  Ought  I  to  so  much 
as  accept  your  services  ?  Dark  and  criminal 
old  man,  would  you  make  an  accomplice  of 
my  youth  and  my  distress  ?  ' ' 

The  Doctor  bitterly  laughed. 

"You  are  difficult  to  please,  Mr.  Scudda- 
more,"  said  he  ;  "  but  I  now  offer  you  your 
choice  of  company  between  the  murdered 
man  and  the  murderer.  If  your  conscience 
is  too  nice  to  accept  my  aid,  say  so,  and  I 
will  immediately  leave  you.  Thenceforward 
you  can  deal  with  your  trunk  and  its  be- 
longings as  best  suits  your  upright  con- 
science." 

"I  own  myself  wrong,"  replied  Silas. 
' '  I  should  have  remembered  how  generously 
you  offered  to  shield  me,  even  before  I  had 
convinced  you  of  my  innocence,  and  I  con- 
tinue to  listen  to  your  counsels  with  grati- 
tude." 

"That  is  well,"  returned  the  Doctor; 
"  and  I  perceive  you  are  beginning  to  learn 
some  of  the  lessons  of  experience. ' ' 

"  At  the  same  time,"  resumed  the  New- 


io8  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

Englander,  "  as  you  confess  yourself  accus- 
tomed to  this  tragical  business,  and  the  peo- 
ple to  whom  you  recommend  me  are  your 
own  former  associates  and  friends,  could  you 
not  yourself  undertake  the  transport  of  the 
box,  and  rid  me  at  once  of  its  detested 
presence  ? ' ' 

"Upon  my  word,"  replied  the  Doctor, 
"I  admire  you  cordially.  If  you  do  not 
think  I  have  already  meddled  sufficiently  in 
your  concerns,  believe  me,  from  my  heart  I 
think  the  contrary.  Take  or  leave  my  ser- 
vices as  I  offer  them ;  and  trouble  me  with 
no  more  words  of  gratitude,  for  I  value  your 
consideration  even  more  lightly  than  I  do 
your  intellect.  A  time  will  come,  if  you 
should  be  spared  to  see  a  number  of  years  in 
health  and  mind,  when  you  will  think  dif- 
ferently of  all  this,  and  blush  for  your  to- 
night's behaviour." 

So  saying,  the  Doctor  arose  from  his 
chair,  repeated  his  directions  briefly  and 
clearly,  and  departed  from  the  room  with- 
out permitting  Silas  any  time  to  answer. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  109 

The  next  morning  Silas  presented  himself 
at  the  hotel,  where  he  was  politely  received 
by  Colonel  Geraldine,  and  relieved,  from 
that  moment,  of  all  immediate  alarm  about 
his  trunk  and  its  grisly  contents.  The  jour- 
ney passed  over  without  much  incident, 
although  the  young  man  was  horrified  to 
overhear  the  sailors  and  railway  porters 
complaining  among  themselves  about  the 
unusual  weight  of  the  Prince's  baggage. 
Silas  travelled  in  a  carriage  with  the  valets, 
for  Prince  Florizel  chose  to  be  alone  with 
his  Master  of  the  Horse.  On  board  the 
steamer,  however,  Silas  attracted  his  High- 
ness's  attention  by  the  melancholy  of  his 
air  and  attitude  as  he  stood  gazing  at  the 
pile  of  baggage ;  for  he  was  still  full  of  dis- 
quietude about  the  future. 

"There  is  a  young  man,"  observed  the 
Prince,  "  who  must  have  some  cause  for 
sorrow." 

"That,"  replied  Geraldine,  "is  the 
American  for  whom  I  obtained  permission 
to  travel  with  your  suite. ' ' 


no  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"  You  remind  me  that  I  have  been  remiss 
in  courtesy,"  said  Prince  Florizel,  and  ad- 
vancing to  Silas,  he  addressed  him  with  the 
most  exquisite  condescension  in  these  words, 

"  I  was  charmed,  young  sir,  to  be  able  to 
gratify  the  desire  you  made  known  to  me 
through  Colonel  Geraldine.  Remember,  if 
you  please,  that  I  shall  be  glad  at  any  future 
time  to  lay  you  under  a  more  serious  obliga- 
tion." 

And  then  he  put  some  questions  as  to  the 
political  condition  of  America,  which  Silas 
answered  with  sense  and  propriety. 

"You  are  still  a  young  man,"  said  the 
Prince;  "but  I  observe  you  to  be  very  se- 
rious for  your  years.  Perhaps  you  allow 
your  attention  to  be  too  much  occupied  with 
grave  studies.  But,  perhaps,  on  the  other 
hand,  I  am  myself  indiscreet  and  touch  upon 
a  painful  subject." 

"  I  have  certainly  cause  to  be  the  most 
miserable  of  men,"  said  Silas  ;  "  never  has 
a  more  innocent  person  been  more  dismally 
abused." 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  in 

"  I  will  not  ask  you  for  your  confidence," 
returned  Prince  Florizel.  "  But  do  not 
forget  that  Colonel  Geraldine's  recom- 
mendation is  an  unfailing  passport  ;  and 
that  I  am  not  only  willing,  but  possibly 
more  able  than  many  others,  to  do  you  a 
service." 

Silas  was  delighted  with  the  amiability  of 
this  great  personage  ;  but  his  mind  soon  re- 
turned upon  its  gloomy  preoccupations;  for 
not  even  the  favour  of  a  Prince  to  a  Repub- 
lican can  discharge  a  brooding  spirit  of  its 
cares. 

The  train  arrived  at  Charing  Cross,  where 
the  officers  of  the  Revenue  respected  the 
baggage  of  Prince  Florizel  in  the  usual  man- 
ner. The  most  elegant  equipages  were  in 
waiting  ;  and  Silas  was  driven,  along  with 
the  rest,  to  the  Prince's  residence.  There 
Colonel  Geraldine  sought  him  out,  and  ex- 
pressed himself  pleased  to  have  been  of  any 
service  to  a  friend  of  the  physician's,  for 
whom  he  professed  a  great  consideration. 

"  I  hope,"  he  added,  "  that  you  will  find 


112  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

none  of  your  porcelain  injured.  Special 
orders  were  given  along  the  line  to  deal  ten- 
derly with  the  Prince's  effects." 

And  then,  directing  the  servants  to  place 
one  of  the  carriages  at  the  young  gentle- 
man's disposal,  and  at  once  to  charge  the 
Saratoga  trunk  upon  the  dickey,  the  Colo- 
nel shook  hands  and  excused  himself  on 
account  of  his  occupations  in  the  princely 
household. 

Silas  now  broke  the  seal  of  the  envelope 
containing  the  address,  and  directed  the 
stately  footman  to  drive  him  to  Box  Court, 
opening  off  the  Strand.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
place  were  not  at  all  unknown  to  the  man, 
for  he  looked  startled  and  begged  a  repeti- 
tion of  the  order.  It  was  with  a  heart  full 
of  alarms,  that  Silas  mounted  into  the  luxu- 
rious vehicle,  and  was  driven  to  his  destina- 
tion. The  entrance  to  Box  Court  was  too 
narrow  for  the  passage  of  a  coach ;  it  was  a 
mere  footway  between  railings,  with  a  post 
at  either  end.  On  one  of  these  posts  was 
seated  a  man,  who  at  once  jumped  down 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  113 

and  exchanged  a  friendly  sign  with  the 
driver,  while  the  footman  opened  the  door 
and  inquired  of  Silas  whether  he  should  take 
down  the  Saratoga  trunk,  and  to  what  num- 
ber it  should  be  carried. 

"  If  you  please,"  said  Silas.  "To  num- 
ber three." 

The  footman  and  the  man  who  had  been 
sitting  on  the  post,  even  with  the  aid  of 
Silas  himself,  had  hard  work  to  carry  in  the 
trunk ;  and  before  it  was  deposited  at  the 
door  of  the  house  in  question,  the  young 
American  was  horrified  to  find  a  score  of 
loiterers  looking  on. 

But  he  knocked  with  as  good  a  counte- 
nance as  he  could  muster  up,  and  presented 
the  other  envelope  to  him  who  opened. 

"  He  is  not  at  home,"  said  he,  "  but  if 
you  will  leave  your  letter  and  return  to- 
morrow early,  I  shall  be  able  to  inform  you 
whether  and  when  he  can  receive  your 
visit.  Would  you  like  to  leave  your  box  ?  ' ' 
he  added. 

"  Dearly,"  cried  Silas  ;  and  the  next  mo- 
8 


H4  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

ment  he  repented  his  precipitation,  and  de- 
clared, with  equal  emphasis,  that  he  would 
rather  carry  the  box  along  with  him  to  the 
hotel. 

The  crowd  jeered  at  his  indecision  and 
followed  him  to  the  carriage  with  insulting 
remarks ;  and  Silas,  covered  with  shame 
and  terror,  implored  the  servants  to  con- 
duct him  to  some  quiet  and  comfortable 
house  of  entertainment  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood. 

The  Prince's  equipage  deposited  Silas  at 
the  Craven  Hotel  in  Craven  Street,  and  im- 
mediately drove  away,  leaving  him  alone 
with  the  servants  of  the  inn.  The  only 
vacant  room,  it  appeared,  was  a  little  den 
up  four  pairs  of  stairs,  and  looking  towards 
the  back.  To  this  hermitage,  with  infinite 
trouble  and  complaint,  a  pair  of  stout  por- 
ters carried  the  Saratoga  trunk.  It  is  need- 
less to  mention  that  Silas  kept  closely  at 
their  heels  throughout  the  ascent,  and  had 
his  heart  in  his  mouth  at  every  corner.  A 
single  false  step,  he  reflected,  and  the  box 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  115 

might  go  over  the  banisters  and  land  its 
fatal  contents,  plainly  discovered,  on  the 
pavement  of  the  hall. 

Arrived  in  the  room,  he  sat  down  on  the 
edge  of  his  bed  to  recover  from  the  agony 
that  he  had  just  endured  ;  but  he  had  hardly 
taken  his  position  when  he  was  recalled  to  a 
sense  of  his  peril  by  the  action  of  the  boots, 
who  had  knelt  beside  the  trunk,  and  was 
proceeding  officiously  to  undo  its  elaborate 
fastenings. 

"Let  it  be!"  cried  Silas.  "I  shall 
want  nothing  from  it  while  I  stay  here." 

"  You  might  have  let  it  lie  in  the  hall, 
then,"  growled  the  man;  "a  thing  as  big 
and  heavy  as  a  church.  What  you  have  in- 
side, I  cannot  fancy.  If  it  is  all  money,  you 
are  a  richer  man  than  me." 

"Money?"  repeated  Silas,  in  a  sudden 
perturbation.  "  What  do  you  mean  by 
money  ?  I  have  no  money,  and  you  are 
speaking  like  a  fool." 

"All  right,  Captain,"  retorted  the  boots 
with  a  wink.  "  There's  nobody  will  touch 


n6  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

your  lordship's  money.  I'm  as  safe  as  the 
bank,"  he  added;  "but  as  the  box  is 
heavy,  I  shouldn't  mind  drinking  something 
to  your  lordship's  health." 

Silas  pressed  two  Napoleons  upon  his  ac- 
ceptance, apologising,  at  the  same  time,  for 
being  obliged  to  trouble  him  with  foreign 
money,  and  pleading  his  recent  arrival  for 
excuse.  And  the  man,  grumbling  with 
even  greater  fervour,  and  looking  contemptu- 
ously from  the  money  in  his  hand  to  the 
Saratoga  trunk  and  back  again  from  the  one 
to  the  other,  at  last  consented  to  withdraw. 

For  nearly  two  days  the  dead  body  had 
been  packed  into  Silas's  box ;  and  as  soon 
as  he  was  alone  the  unfortunate  New-Eng- 
lander  nosed  all  the  cracks  and  openings 
with  the  most  passionate  attention.  But 
the  weather  was  cool,  and  the  trunk  still 
managed  to  contain  his  shocking  secret. 

He  took  a  chair  beside  it,  and  buried  his 
face  in  his  hands,  and  his  mind  in  the  most 
profound  reflection.  If  he  were  not  speedily 
relieved,  no  question  but  he  must  be  speed- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  117 

ily  discovered.  Alone  in  a  strange  city, 
without  friends  or  accomplices,  if  the  Doc- 
tor's introduction  failed  him,  he  was  indu- 
bitably a  lost  New-Englander.  He  reflected 
pathetically  over  his  ambitious  designs  for 
the  future ;  he  should  not  now  become  the 
hero  and  spokesman  of  his  native  place  of 
Bangor,  Maine;  he  should  not,  as  he  had 
fondly  anticipated,  move  on  from  office  to 
office,  from  honour  to  honour  ;  he  might  as 
well  divest  himself  at  once  of  all  hope  of 
being  acclaimed  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  leaving  behind  him  a  statue,  in 
the  worst  possible  style  of  art,  to  adorn  the 
Capitol  at  Washington.  Here  he  was, 
chained  to  a  dead  Englishman  doubled  up 
inside  a  Saratoga  trunk ;  whom  he  must  get 
rid  of,  or  perish  from  the  rolls  of  national 
glory  ! 

I  should  be  afraid  to  chronicle  the  lan- 
guage employed  by  this  young  man  to  the 
Doctor,  to  the  murdered  man,  to  Madame 
Zephyrine,  to  the  boots  of  the  hotel,  to  the 
Prince's  servants,  and,  in  a  word,  to  all  who 


n8  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

had  been  ever  so  remotely  connected  with 
his  horrible  misfortune. 

He  slunk  down  to  dinner  about  seven  at 
night ;  but  the  yellow  coffee-room  appalled 
him,  the  eyes  of  the  other  diners  seemed  to 
rest  on  his  with  suspicion,  and  his  mind  re- 
mained upstairs  with  the  Saratoga  trunk. 
When  the  waiter  came  to  offer  him  cheese, 
his  nerves  were  already  so  much  on  edge 
that  he  leaped  half-way  out  of  his  chair  and 
upset  the  remainder  of  a  pint  of  ale  upon 
the  table-cloth. 

The  fellow  offered  to  show  him  the  smok- 
ing-room when  he  had  done ;  and  although 
he  would  have  much  preferred  to  return  at 
once  to  his  perilous  treasure,  he  had  not  the 
courage  to  refuse,  and  was  shown  down- 
stairs to  the  black,  gas  -  lit  cellar,  which 
formed,  and  possibly  still  forms,  the  divan 
of  the  Craven  Hotel. 

Two  very  sad  betting  men  were  playing 
billiards,  attended  by  a  moist,  consumptive 
marker ;  and  for  the  moment  Silas  imag- 
ined that  these  were  the  only  occupants  of 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  119 

the  apartment.  But  at  the  next  glance  his 
eye  fell  upon  a  person  smoking  in  the 
farthest  corner,  with  lowered  eyes  and  a 
most  respectable  and  -modest  aspect.  He 
knew  at  once  that  he  had  seen  the  face  be- 
fore ;  and  in  spite  of  the  entire  change  of 
clothes,  recognised  the  man  whom  he  had 
found  seated  on  a  post  at  the  entrance  to 
Box  Court,  and  who  had  helped  him  to 
carry  the  trunk  to  and  from  the  carriage. 
The  New-Englander  simply  turned  and  ran, 
nor  did  he  pause  until  he  had  locked  and 
bolted  himself  into  his  bedroom. 

There,  all  night  long,  a  prey  to  the  most 
terrible  imaginations,  he  watched  beside  the 
fatal  boxful  of  dead  flesh.  The  suggestion 
of  the  boots  that  his  trunk  was  full  of  gold 
inspired  him  with  all  manner  of  new  terrors, 
if  he  so  much  as  ilared  to  close  an  eye  ;  and 
the  presence  in  the  smoking-room,  and  un- 
der an  obvious  disguise,  of  the  loiterer  from 
Box  Court  convinced  him  that  he  was  once 
more  the  centre  of  obscure  machination. 

Midnight  had  sounded  some  time,  when, 


120  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

impelled  by  uneasy  suspicions,  Silas  opened 
his  bedroom  door  and  peered  into  the  pas- 
sage. It  was  dimly  illuminated  by  a  single 
jet  of  gas ;  and  some  distance  off  he  per- 
ceived a  man  sleeping  on  the  floor  in  the 
costume  of  an  hotel  under-servant.  Silas 
drew  near  the  man  on  tiptoe.  He  lay 
partly  on  his  back,  partly  on  his  side,  and 
his  right  forearm  concealed  his  face  from 
recognition.  Suddenly,  while  the  Ameri- 
can was  still  bending  over  him,  the  sleeper 
removed  his  arm  and  opened  his  eyes,  and 
Silas  found  himself  once  more  face  to  face 
with  the  loiterer  of  Box  Court. 

"  Good  night,  sir,"  said  the  man,  pleas- 
antly. 

But  Silas  was  too  profoundly  moved  to 
find  an  answer,  and  regained  his  room  in  si- 
lence, t 

Towards  morning,  worn  out  by  apprehen- 
sion, he  fell  asleep  on  his  chair,  with  his 
head  forward  on  the  trunk.  In  spite  of  so 
constrained  an  attitude  and  such  a  grisly 
pillow,  his  slumber  was  sound  and  pro- 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB  121 

longed,  and  he  was  only  awakened  at  a  late 
hour  and  by  a  sharp  tapping  at  the  door. 

He  hurried  to  open,  and  found  the  boots 
without. 

"  You  are  the  gentleman  who  called  yes- 
terday at  Box  Court  ?  "  he  asked. 

Silas,  with  a  quaver,  admitted  that  he 
had  done  so. 

"Then  this  note  is  for  you,"  added  the 
servant,  proffering  a  sealed  envelope. 

Silas  tore  it  open,  and  found  inside  the 
words :  ' '  Twelve  o'  clock. ' ' 

He  was  punctual  to  the  hour ;  the  trunk 
was  carried  before  him  by  several  stout  ser- 
vants ;  and  he  was  himself  ushered  into  a 
room,  where  a  man  sat  warming  himself  be- 
fore the  fire  with  his  back  towards  the  door. 
The  sound  of  so  many  persons  entering  and 
leaving,  and  the  scraping  of  the  trunk  as  it 
was  deposited  upon  the  bare  boards,  were 
alike  unable  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  oc- 
cupant ;  and  Silas  stood  waiting,  in  an 
agony  of  fear,  until  he  should  deign  to  rec- 
ognise his  presence. 


122  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

Perhaps  five  minutes  had  elapsed  before  the 
man  turned  leisurely  about,  and  disclosed 
the  features  of  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia. 

"So,  sir,"  he  said  with  great  severity, 
"  this  is  the  manner  in  which  you  abuse  my 
politeness.  You  join  yourselves  to  persons 
of  condition,  I  perceive,  for  no  other  pur- 
pose than  to  escape  the  consequences  of  your 
crimes ;  and  I  can  readily  understand  your 
embarrassment  when  I  addressed  myself  to 
you  yesterday." 

"Indeed,"  cried  Silas,  "I  am  innocent 
of  everything  except  misfortune." 

And  in  a  hurried  voice,  and  with  the 
greatest  ingenuousness,  he  recounted  to  the 
Prince  the  whole  history  of  his  calamity. 

"  I  see  I  have  been  mistaken,"  said  his 
Highness,  when  he  had  heard  him  to  an 
end.  "  You  are  no  other  than  a  victim, 
and  since  I  am  not  to  punish  you,  you  may 
be  sure  I  shall  do  my  utmost  to  help.  And 
now,"  he  continued,  "  to  business.  Open 
your  box  at  once,  and  let  me  see  what  it 
contains. ' ' 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  123 

Silas  changed  colour. 

"I  almost  fear  to  look  upon  it,"  he  ex- 
claimed. 

"Nay,"  replied  the  Prince,  "have  you 
not  looked  at  it  already  ?  This  is  a  form  of 
sentimentality  to  be  resisted.  The  sight  of 
a  sick  man,  whom  we  can  still  help,  should 
appeal  more  directly  to  the  feelings  than 
that  of  a  dead  man  who  is  equally  beyond 
help  or  harm,  love  or  hatred.  Nerve  your- 
self, Mr.  Scuddamore,"  and  then,  seeing 
that  Silas  still  hesitated,  "  I  do  not  desire 
to  give  another  name  to  my  request,"  he 
added. 

The  young  American  awoke  as  if  out  of  a 
dream,  and  with  a  shiver  of  repugnance  ad- 
dressed himself  to  loose  the  straps  and  open 
the  lock  of  the  Saratoga  trunk.  The  Prince 
stood  by,  watching  with  a  composed  coun- 
tenance and  his  hands  behind  his  back. 
The  body  was  quite  stiff,  and  it  cost  Silas  a 
great  effort,  both  moral  and  physical,  to  dis- 
lodge it  from  its  position,  and  discover  the 
face. 


124  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

Prince  Florizel  started  back  with  an  ex- 
clamation of  painful  surprise. 

"Alas!"  he  cried,  "you  little  know, 
Mr.  Scuddamore,  what  a  cruel  gift  you  have 
brought  me.  This  is  a  young  man  of  my 
own  suite,  the  brother  of  my  trusted  friend  ; 
and  it  was  upon  matters  of  my  own  service 
that  he  has  thus  perished  at  the  hands  of 
violent  and  treacherous  men.  Poor  Geral- 
dine,"  he  went  on,  as  if  to  himself,  "in 
what  words  am  I  to  tell  you  of  your  broth- 
er's fate  ?  How  can  I  excuse  myself  in  your 
eyes,  or  in  the  eyes  of  God,  for  the  pre- 
sumptuous schemes  that  led  him  to  this 
bloody  and  'unnatural  death  ?  Ah,  Flori- 
zel !  Florizel !  when  will  you  learn  the  dis- 
cretion that  suits  mortal  life,  and  be  no 
longer  dazzled  with  the  image  of  power  at 
your  disposal?  Power  !  "  he  cried;  "  who 
is  more  powerless  ?  I  look  upon  this  young 
man  whom  I  have  sacrificed,  Mr.  Scudda- 
more, and  feel  how  small  a  thing  it  is  to  be 
a  Prince." 

Silas  was  moved  at  the  sight  of  his  emo- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  125 

tion.  He  tried  to  murmur  some  consola- 
tory words,  and  burst  into  tears.  The 
Prince,  touched  by  his  obvious  intention, 
came  up  to  him  and  took  him  by  the 
hand. 

"Command  yourself,"  said  he.  "We 
have  both  much  to  learn,  and  we  shall  both 
be  better  men  for  to-day's  meeting." 

Silas  thanked  him  in  silence,  with  an  af- 
fectionate look. 

"Write  me  the  address  of  Doctor  Noel 
on  this  piece  of  paper,"  continued  the 
Prince,  leading  him  towards  the  table ; 
' '  and  let  me  recommend  you,  when  you  are 
again  in  Paris,  to  avoid  the  society  of  that 
dangerous  man.  He  has  acted  in  this  mat- 
ter on  a  generous  inspiration ;  that  I  must 
believe ;  had  he  been  privy  to  young  Ger- 
aldine's  death  he  would  never  have  de- 
spatched the  body  to  the  care  of  the  actual 
criminal." 

"  The  actual  criminal!"  repeated  Silas 
in  astonishment. 

"  Even  so,"  returned  the  Prince.      "This 


126  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

letter,  which  the  disposition  of  Almighty 
Providence  has  so  strangely  delivered  into 
my  hands,  was  addressed  to  no  less  a  person 
than  the  criminal  himself,  the  infamous 
President  of  the  Suicide  Club.  Seek  to  pry 
no  further  in  these  perilous  affairs,  but  con- 
tent yourself  with  your  own  miraculous  es- 
cape, and  leave  this  house  at  once.  I  have 
pressing  affairs,  and  must  arrange  at  once 
about  this  poor  clay,  which  was  so  lately  a 
gallant  and  handsome  youth." 

Silas  took  a  grateful  and  submissive  leave 
of  Prince  Florizel,  but  he  lingered  in  Box 
Court  until  he  saw  him  depart  in  a  splendid 
carriage  on  a  visit  to  Colonel  Henderson,  of 
the  police.  Republican  as  he  was,  the 
young  American  took  off  his  hat  with  almost 
a  sentiment  of  devotion  to  the  retreating 
carriage.  And  the  same  night  he  started  by 
rail  on  his  return  to  Paris. 

Here  (observes  my  Arabian  Author)  is  the 
end  of  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND 
THE  SARATOGA  TRUNK.  Omitting  some  re- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  127 

flections  on  the  power  of  Providence,  highly 
pertinent  in  the  original,  but  little  suited  to 
our  occidental  taste,  I  shall  only  add  that 
Mr.  Scuddamore  has  already  begun  to  mount 
the  ladder  of  political  fame,  and  by  last  ad- 
vices was  the  Sheriff  of  his  native  town. 


THE  ADVENTURE  OF  THE  HANSOM 
CAB 


THE  ADVENTURE  OF  THE  HANSOM 
CAB 

LIEUTENANT  BRACKENBURY  RICH  had 
greatly  distinguished  himself  in  one  of  the 
lesser  Indian  hill  wars.  He  it  was  who 
took  the  chieftain  prisoner  with  his  own 
hand  ;  his  gallantry  was  universally  applaud- 
ed ;  and  when  he  came  home,  prostrated  by 
an  ugly  sabre  cut  and  a  protracted  jungle 
fever,  society  was  prepared  to  welcome  the 
Lieutenant  as  a  celebrity  of  minor  lustre. 
But  his  was  a  character  remarkable  for  un- 
affected modesty ;  adventure  was  dear  to  his 
heart,  but  he  cared  little  for  adulation ;  and 
he  waited  at  foreign  watering-places  and  in 
Algiers  until  the  fame  of  his  exploits  had 
run  through  its  nine  days'  vitality  and  be- 
gun to  be  forgotten.  He  arrived  in  Lon- 
don at  last,  in  the  early  season,  with  as 


132  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

little  observation  as  he  could  desire ;  and  as 
he  was  an  orphan  and  had  none  but  distant 
relatives  who  lived  in  the  provinces,  it  was 
almost  as  a  foreigner  that  he  installed  him- 
self in  the  capital  of  the  country  for  which 
he  had  shed  his  blood. 

On  the  day  following  his  arrival  he  dined 
alone  at  a  military  club.  He  shook  hands 
with  a  few  old  comrades,  and  received  their 
congratulations ;  but  as  one  and  all  had 
some  engagement  for  the  evening,  he  found 
himself  left  entirely  to  his  own  resources. 
He  was  in  full  dress,  for  he  had  entertained 
the  notion  of  visiting  a  theatre.  But  the  great 
city  was  new  to  him ;  he  had  gone  from  a 
provincial  school  to  a  military  college,  and 
thence  direct  to  the  Eastern  Empire ;  and 
he  promised  himself  a  variety  of  delights  in 
this  world  for  exploration.  Swinging  his 
cane,  he  took  his  way  westward.  It  was  a 
mild  evening,  already  dark,  and  now  and 
then  threatening  rain.  The  succession  of 
faces  in  the  lamp-light  stirred  the  Lieuten- 
ant's imagination  ;  and  it  seemed  to  him  as 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  133 

if  he  could  walk  for  ever  in  that  stimulating 
city  atmosphere  and  surrounded  by  the  mys- 
tery of  four  million  private  lives.  He 
glanced  at  the  houses,  and  marvelled  what 
was  passing  behind  those  warmly-lighted 
windows ;  he  looked  into  face  after  face, 
and  saw  them  each  intent  upon  some  un- 
known interest,  criminal  or  kindly. 

"They  talk  of  war,"  he  thought,  "but 
this  is  the  great  battlefield  of  mankind." 

And  then  he  began  to  wonder  that  he 
should  walk  so  long  in  this  complicated 
scene,  and  not  chance  upon  so  much  as  the 
shadow  of  an  adventure  for  himself. 

"All  in  good  time,"  he  reflected.  "I 
am  still  a  stranger,  and  perhaps  wear  a 
strange  air.  But  I  must  be  drawn  into  the 
eddy  before  long." 

The  night  was  already  well  advanced, 
when  a  plump  of  cold  rain  fell  suddenly  out 
of  the  darkness.  Brackenbury  paused  under 
some  trees,  and  as  he  did  so  he  caught  sight 
of  a  hansom  cabman  making  him  a  sign  that 
he  was  disengaged.  The  circumstance  fell  • 


134  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

in  so  happily  to  the  occasion  that  he  at  once 
raised  his  cane  in  answer,  and  had  soon  en- 
sconced himself  in  the  London  gondola. 

' '  Where  to,  sir  ?  "  asked  the  driver. 

"  Where  you  please,"  said  Brackenbury. 

And  immediately,  at  a  pace  of  surprising 
swiftness,  the  hansom  drove  off  through  the 
rain  into  a  maze  of  villas.  One  villa  was 
so  like  another,  each  with  its  front  garden, 
and  there  was  so  little  to  distinguish  the  de- 
serted lamp-lit  streets  and  crescents  through 
which  the  flying  hansom  took  its  way,  that 
Brackenbury  soon  lost  all  idea  of  direction. 
He  would  have  been  contented  to  believe 
that  the  cabman  was  amusing  himself  by 
driving  him  round  and  round  and  in  and  out 
about  a  small  quarter,  but  there  was  some- 
thing businesslike  in  the  speed  which  con- 
vinced him  of  the  contrary.  The  man  had 
an  object  in  view,  he  was  hastening  towards 
a  definite  end ;  and  Brackenbury  was  at 
once  astonished  at  the  fellow's  skill  in  pick- 
ing a  way  through  such  a  labyrinth,  and  a 
little  concerned  to  imagine  what  was  the  oc- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  135 

casion  of  his  hurry.  He  had  heard  tales  of 
strangers  falling  ill  in  London.  Did  the 
driver  belong  to  some  bloody  and  treacher- 
ous association?  and  was  he  himself  being 
whirled  to  a  murderous  death  ? 

The  thought  had  scarcely  presented  itself, 
when  the  cab  swung  sharply  round  a  corner 
and  pulled  up  before  the  garden  gate  of  a 
villa  in  a  long  and  wide  road.  The  house 
was  brilliantly  lighted  up.  Another  hansom 
had  just  driven  away,  and  Brackenbury 
could  see  a  gentleman  being  admitted  at  the 
front  door  and  received  by  several  liveried 
servants.  He  was  surprised  that  the  cab- 
man should  have  stopped  so  immediately  in 
front  of  a  house  where  a  reception  was  being 
held ;  but  he  did  not  doubt  it  was  the  re- 
sult of  accident,  and  sat  placidly  smoking 
where  he  was,  until  he  heard  the  trap  thrown 
open  over  his  head. 

"  Here  we  are,  sir,"  said  the  driver. 

"  Here  !  "  repeated  Brackenbury. 
''Where?" 

"  You   told   me   to    take    you    where   I 


136  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

pleased,  sir,"  returned  the  man  with  a 
chuckle,  ' '  and  here  we  are. ' ' 

It  struck  Brackenbury  that  the  voice  was 
wonderfully  smooth  and  courteous  for  a  man 
in  so*  inferior  a  position  ;  he  remembered 
the  speed  at  which  he  had  been  driven; 
and  now  it  occurred  to  him  that  the  han- 
som was  more  luxuriously  appointed  than 
the  common  run  of  public  conveyances. 

"I  must  ask  you  to  explain,"  said  he. 
"  Do  you  mean  to  turn  me  out  into  the 
rain  ?  My  good  man,  I  suspect  the  choice 
is  mine." 

"  The  choice  is  certainly  yours,"  replied 
the  driver  ;  "  but  when  I  tell  you  all,  I  be- 
lieve I  know  how  a  gentleman  of  your 
figure  will  decide.  There  is  a  gentlemen's 
party  in  this  house.  I  do  not  know  whether 
the  master  be  a  stranger  to  London  and 
without  acquaintances  of  his  own  ;  or 
whether  he  is  a  man  of  odd  notions.  But 
certainly  I  was  hired  to  kidnap  single 
gentlemen  in  evening  dress,  as  many  as  I 
pleased,  but  military  officers  by  preference. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  137 

You  have  simply  to  go  in  and  say  that  Mr. 
Morris  invited  you." 

"Are  you  Mr.  Morris?"  inquired  the 
Lieutenant. 

"Oh,  no,"  replied  the  cabman.  "Mr. 
Morris  is  the  person  of  the  house." 

"It  is  not  a  common  way  of  collecting 
guests,"  said  Brackenbury  ;  "  but  an  eccen- 
tric man  might  very  well  indulge  the  whim 
without  any  intention  to  offend.  And  sup- 
pose that  I  refuse  Mr.  Morris's  invitation," 
he  went  on,  "  what  then  ?  " 

"  My  orders  are  to  drive  you  back  where 
I  took  you  from,"  replied  the  man,  "and 
set  out  to  look  for  others  up  to  midnight. 
Those  who  have  no  fancy  for  such  an  ad- 
venture, Mr.  Morris  said,  were  not  the 
guests  for  him." 

These  words  decided  the  Lieutenant  on 
the  spot. 

"After  all,"  he  reflected,  as  he  descend- 
ed from  the  hansom,  "  I  have  not  had  long 
to  wait  for  my  adventure." 

He  had  hardly  found  footing  on  the  side- 


138  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

walk,  and  was  still  feeling  in  his  pocket  for 
the  fare,  when  the  cab  swung  about  and 
drove  off  by  the  way  it  came  at  the  former 
break-neck  velocity.  Brackenbury  shouted 
after  the  man,  who  paid  no  heed,  and  con- 
tinued to  drive  away  ;  but  the  sound  of  his 
voice  was  overheard  in  the  house,  the  door 
was  again  thrown  open,  emitting  a  flood  of 
light  upon  the  garden,  and  a  servant  ran 
down  to  meet  him  holding  an  umbrella. 

"The  cabman  has  been  paid,"  observed 
the  servant  in  a  very  civil  tone ;  and  he 
proceeded  to  escort  Brackenbury  along  the 
path  and  up  the  steps.  In  the  hall  several 
other  attendants  relieved  him  of  his  hat, 
cane,  and  paletot,  gave  him  a  ticket  with 
a  number  in  return,  and  politely  hurried 
him  up  a  stair  adorned  with  tropical  flowers, 
to  the  door  of  an  apartment  on  the  first 
story.  Here  a  grave  butler  inquired  his 
name,  and  announcing  "  Lieutenant  Brack- 
enbury Rich,"  ushered  him  into  the  draw- 
ing-room of  the  house. 

A    young   man,    slender    and    singularly 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  139 

handsome,  came  forward  and  greeted  him 
with  an  air  at  once  courtly  and  affectionate. 
Hundreds  of  candles,  of  the  finest  wax,  lit 
up  a  room  that  was  perfumed,  like  the 
staircase,  with  a  profusion  of  rare  and 
beautiful  flowering  shrubs.  A  side  -  table 
was  loaded  with  tempting  viands.  Several 
servants  went  to  and  fro  with  fruits  and 
goblets  of  champagne.  The  company  was 
perhaps  sixteen  in  number,  all  men,  few  be- 
yond the  prime  of  life,  and  with  hardly  an 
exception,  of  a  dashing  and  capable  exterior. 
They  were  divided  into  two  groups,  one 
about  a  roulette  board,  and  the  other  sur- 
rounding a  table  at  which  one  of  their  num- 
ber held  a  bank  of  baccarat. 

"  I  see,"  thought  Brackenbury,  "  I  am  in 
a  private  gambling  saloon,  and  the  cabman 
was  a  tout." 

His  eye  had  embraced  the  details,  and  his 
mind  formed  the  conclusion,  while  his  host 
was  still  holding  him  by  the  hand  ;  and  to 
him  his  looks  returned  from  this  rapid  sur- 
vey. At  a  second  view  Mr.  Morris  sur- 


140  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

prised  him  still  more  than  on  the  first. 
The  easy  elegance  of  his  manners,  the  dis- 
tinction, amiability,  and  courage  that  ap- 
peared upon  his  features,  fitted  very  ill  with 
the  Lieutenant's  preconceptions  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  proprietor  of  a  hell ;  and  the 
tone  of  his  conversation  seemed  to  mark 
him  out  for  a  man  of  position  and  merit. 
Brackenbury  found  he  had  an  instinctive 
liking  for  his  entertainer ;  and  though  he 
chid  himself  for  the  weakness  he  was  unable 
to  resist  a  sort  of  friendly  attraction  for  Mr. 
Morris's  person  and  character. 

"  I  have  heard  of  you,  Lieutenant  Rich," 
said  Mr.  Morris,  lowering  his  tone;  "and 
believe  me  I  am  gratified  to  make  your  ac- 
quaintance. Your  looks  accord  with  the 
reputation  that  has  preceded  you  from 
India.  And  if  you  will  forget  for  a  while 
the  irregularity  of  your  presentation  in  my 
house,  I  shall  feel  it  not  only  an  honour, 
but  genuine  pleasure  besides.  A  man  who 
makes  a  mouthful  of  barbarian  cavaliers," 
he  added  with  a  laugh,  "  should  not  be  ap- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  141 

palled  by  a  breach  of  etiquette,  however 
serious." 

And  he  led  him  towards  the  sideboard 
and  pressed  him  to  partake  of  some  refresh- 
ments. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  the  Lieutenant  re- 
flected, "  this  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  fel- 
lows and,  I  do  not  doubt,  one  of  the  most 
agreeable  societies  in  London." 

He  partook  of  some  champagne,  which 
he  found  excellent  ;  and  observing  that 
many  of  the  company  were  already  smok- 
ing, he  lit  one  of  his  own  Manillas,  and 
strolled  up  to  the  roulette  board,  where  he 
sometimes  made  a  stake  and  sometimes 
looked  on  smilingly  on  the  fortune  of 
others.  It  was  while  he  was  thus  idling 
that  he  became  aware  of  a  sharp  scrutiny  to 
which  the  whole  of  the  guests  were  sub- 
jected. Mr.  Morris  went  here  and  there, 
ostensibly  busied  on  hospitable  concerns ; 
but  he  had  ever  a  shrewd  glance  at  dis- 
posal ;  not  a  man  of  the  party  escaped  his 
sudden,  searching  looks  ;  he  took  stock  of 


142  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

the  bearing  of  heavy  losers,  he  valued  the 
amount  of  the  stakes,  he  paused  behind 
couples  who  were  deep  in  conversation ; 
and,  in  a  word,  there  was  hardly  a  charac- 
teristic of  anyone  present  but  he  seemed  to 
catch  and  make  a  note  of  it.  Brackenbury 
began  to  wonder  if  this  were  indeed  a 
gambling  hell :  it  had  so  much  the  air  of  a 
private  inquisition.  He  followed  Mr.  Mor- 
ris in  all  his  movements ;  and  although  the 
man  had  a  ready  smile,  he  seemed  to  per- 
ceive, as  it  were  under  a  mask,  a  haggard, 
careworn,  and  preoccupied  spirit.  The  fel- 
lows around  him  laughed  and  made  their 
game  ;  but  Brackenbury  had  lost  interest  in 
the  guests. 

"  This  Morris,"  thought  he,  "  is  no  idler 
in  the  room.  Some  deep  purpose  inspires 
him  ;  let  it  be  mine  to  fathom  it. ' ' 

Now  and  then  Mr.  Morris  would  call  one 
of  his  visitors  aside ;  and  after  a  brief  collo- 
quy in  an  ante-room,  he  would  return  alone, 
and  the  visitors  in  question  reappeared  no 
more.  After  a  certain  number  of  repeti- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  143 

tions,  this  performance  excited  Bracken- 
bury's  curiosity  to  a  high  degree.  He  de- 
termined to  be  at  the  bottom  of  this  minor 
mystery  at  once ;  and  strolling  into  the 
ante-room,  found  a  deep  window  recess  con- 
cealed by  curtains  of  the  fashionable  green. 
Here  he  hurriedly  ensconced  himself;  nor 
had  he  to  wait  long  before  the  sound  of  steps 
and  voices  drew  near  him  from  the  principal 
apartment.  Peering  through  the  division, 
he  saw  Mr.  Morris  escorting  a  fat  and  ruddy 
personage,  with  somewhat  the  look  of  a  com- 
mercial traveller,  whom  Brackenbury  had 
already  remarked  for  his  coarse  laugh  and 
under-bred  behaviour  at  the  table.  The 
pair  halted  immediately  before  the  window, 
so  that  Brackenbury  lost  not  a  word  of  the 

following  discourse : 

' '  1  beg  you  a  thousand  pardons !  ' '  be- 
gan Mr.  Morris,  with  the  most  conciliatory 
manner;  "  and,  if  I  appear  rude,  I  arn  sure 
you  will  readily  forgive  me.  In  a  place  so 
great  as  London  accidents  must  continually 
happen ;  and  the  best  that  we  can  hope  is 


144  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

to  remedy  them  with  as  small  delay  as  pos- 
sible. I  will  not  deny  that  I  fear  you  have 
made  a  mistake  and  honoured  my  poor 
house  by  inadvertence ;  for,  to  speak  openly, 
I  cannot  at  all  remember  your  appearance. 
Let  me  put  the  question  without  unneces- 
sary circumlocution — between  gentlemen  of 
honour  a  word  will  suffice — Under  whose 
roof  do  you  suppose  yourself  to  be  ?  " 

"That  of  Mr.  Morris,"  replied  the  other, 
with  a  prodigious  display  of  confusion, 
which  had  been  visibly  growing  upon  him 
throughout  the  last  few  words. 

"Mr.  John  or  Mr.  James  Morris ?"  in- 
quired the  host. 

"  I  really  cannot  tell  you,"  returned  the 
unfortunate  guest.  "  I  am  not  personally 
acquainted  with  the  gentlemen,  any  more 
than  I  am  with  yourself." 

"I  see,"  said  Mr.  Morris.  "There  is 
another  person  of  the  same  name  farther 
down  the  street ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  the 
policeman  will  be  able  to  supply  you  with 
his  number.  Believe  me,  I  felicitate  myself 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  145 

on  the  misunderstanding  which  has  pro- 
cured me  the  pleasure  of  your  company  for 
so  long ;  and  let  me  express  a  hope  that  we 
may  meet  again  upon  a  more  regular  foot- 
ing. Meantime,  I  would  not  for  the  world 
detain  you  longer  from  your  friends.  John," 
he  added,  raising  his  voice,  "will  you  see 
that  the  gentleman  finds  his  great-coat?  " 

And  with  the  most  agreeable  air  Mr. 
Morris  escorted  his  visitor  as  far  as  the  ante- 
room door,  where  he  left  him  under  con- 
duct of  the  butler.  As  he  passed  the  win- 
dow, on  his  return  to  the  drawing-room, 
Brackenbury  could  hear  him  utter  a  pro- 
found sigh,  as  though  his  mind  was  loaded 
with  a  great  anxiety,  and  his  nerves  already 
fatigued  with  the  task  on  which  he  was  en- 
gaged. 

For  perhaps  an  hour  the  hansoms  kept 
arriving  with  such  frequency,  that  Mr. 
Morris  had  to  receive  a  new  guest  for  every 
old  one  that  he  sent  away,  and  the  company 
preserved  its  number  undiminished.  But 
towards  the  end  of  that  time  the  arrivals 

10 


146  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

grew  few  and  far  between,  and  at  length 
ceased  entirely,  while  the  process  of  elimi- 
nation was  continued  with  unimpaired  activ- 
ity. The  drawing  -  room  began  to  look 
empty  :  the  baccarat  was  discontinued  for 
lack  of  a  banker ;  more  than  one  person 
said  good-night  of  his  own  accord,  and  was 
suffered  to  depart  without  expostulation : 
and  in  the  meanwhile  Mr.  Morris  redoubled 
in  agreeable  attentions  to  those  who  stayed 
behind.  He  went  from  group  to  group  and 
from  person  to  person  with  looks  of  the 
readiest  sympathy  and  the  most  pertinent 
and  pleasing  talk ;  he  was  not  so  much  like 
a  host  as  like  a  hostess,  and  there  was  a 
feminine  coquetry  and  condescension  in  his 
manner  which  charmed  the  hearts  of  all. 

As  the  guests  grew  thinner,  Lieutenant 
Rich  strolled  for  a  moment  out  of  the  draw- 
ing-room into  the  hall  in  quest  of  fresher 
air.  But  he  had  no  sooner  passed  the 
threshold  of  the  ante-chamber  than  he  was 
brought  to  a  dead  halt  by  a  discovery  of 
the  most  surprising  nature.  The  flowering 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  147 

shrubs  had  disappeared  from  the  staircase; 
three  large  furniture  wagons  stood  before 
the  garden  gate;  the  servants  were  busy 
dismantling  the  house  upon  all  sides ;  and 
some  of  them  had  already  donned  their 
great -coats  and  were  preparing  to  depart. 
It  was  like  the  end  of  a  country  ball,  where 
everything  has  been  supplied  by  contract. 
Brackenbury  had  indeed  some  matter  for 
reflection.  First,  the  guests,  who  were  no 
real  guests  after  all,  had  been  dismissed  ; 
and  now  the  servants,  who  could  hardly  be 
genuine  servants,  were  actively  dispersing. 

"  Was  the  whole  establishment  a  sham  ?  " 
he  asked  himself.  "  The  mushroom  of  a 
single  night  which  should  disappear  before 
morning?  " 

Watching  a  favourable  opportunity, 
Brackenbury  dashed  upstairs  to  the  higher  ' 
regions  of  the  house.  It  was  as  he  had  ex- 
pected. He  ran  from  room  to  room,  and 
saw  not  a  stick  of  furniture  nor  so  much  as  a 
picture  on  the  walls.  Although  the  house 
had  been  painted  and  papered,  it  was  not 


148  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

only  uninhabited  at  present,  but  plainly  had 
never  been  inhabited  at  all.  The  young 
officer  remembered  with  astonishment  its 
specious,  settled,  and  hospitable  air  on  his 
arrival.  It  was  only  at  a  prodigious  cost 
that  the  imposture  could  have  been  carried 
out  upon  so  great  a  scale. 

Who,  then,  was  Mr.  Morris?  What  was 
his  intention  in  thus  playing  the  house- 
holder for  a  single  night  in  the  remote  west 
of  London?  And  why  did  he  collect  his 
visitors  at  hazard  from  the  streets  ? 

Brackenbury  remembered  that  he  had 
already  delayed  too  long,  and  hastened  to 
join  the  company.  Many  had  left  during 
his  absence ;  and  counting  the  Lieutenant 
and  his  host,  there  were  not  more  than  five 
persons  in  the  drawing-room — recently  so 
thronged.  Mr.  Morris  greeted  him,  as  he 
re-entered  the  apartment,  with  a  smile,  and 
immediately  rose  to  his  feet. 

"It  is  now  time,  gentlemen,"  said  he, 
"to  explain  my  purpose  in  decoying  you 
from  your  amusements.  I  trust  you  did  not 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB  149 

find  the  evening  hang  very  dully  on  your 
hands ;  but  my  object,  I  will  confess  it,  was 
not  to  entertain  your  leisure,  but  to  help 
myself  in  an  unfortunate  necessity.  You 
are  all  gentlemen,"  he  continued,  "your 
appearance  does  you  that  much  justice,  and  I 
ask  for  no  better  security.  Hence,  I  speak 
it  without  concealment,  I  ask  you  to  render 
me  a  dangerous  and  delicate  service;  dan- 
gerous because  you  may  run  the  hazard  of 
your  lives,  and  delicate  because  I  must  ask 
an  absolute  discretion  upon  all  that  you  shall 
see  or  hear.  From  an  utter  stranger  the  re- 
quest is  almost  comically  extravagant ;  I  am 
well  aware  of  this ;  and  I  would  add  at 
once,  if  there  be  anyone  present  who  has 
heard  enough,  if  there  be  one  among  the 
party  who  recoils  from  a  dangerous  confi- 
dence and  a  piece  of  Quixotic  devotion  to 
he  knows  not  whom  —  here  is  my  hand 
ready,  and  I  shall  wish  him  good-night  and 
God-speed,  with  all  the  sincerity  in  the 
world." 

A   very   tall,  black   man,  with   a   heavy 


150  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

stoop,  immediately  responded  to  this  ap- 
peal. 

' '  I  commend  your  frankness,  sir, ' '  said 
he;  "and,  for  my  part,  I  go.  I  make  no 
reflections ;  but  I  cannot  deny  that  you  fill 
me  with  suspicious  thoughts.  I  go  myself, 
as  I  say  ;  and  perhaps  you  will  think  I  have 
no  right  to  add  words  to  my  example. ' ' 

"  On  the  contrary,"  replied  Mr.  Mor- 
ris, "  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  all  you  say. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  exaggerate  the 
gravity  of  my  proposal. ' ' 

' '  Well,  gentlemen,  what  do  you  say  ?  ' ' 
said  the  tall  man,  addressing  the  others. 
"  We  have  had  our  evening's  frolic  ;  shall 
we  go  homeward  peaceably  in  a  body  ? 
You  will  think  well  of  my  suggestion  in  the 
morning,  when  you  see  the  sun  again  in  in- 
nocence and  safety. ' ' 

The  speaker  pronounced  the  last  words 
with  an  intonation  which  added  to  their 
force ;  and  his  face  wore  a  singular  expres- 
sion, full  of  gravity  and  significance.  An- 
other of  the  company  rose  hastily,  and,  with 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  151 

some  appearance  of  alarm,  prepared  to  take 
his  leave.  There  were  only  two  who  held 
their  ground,  Brackenbury  and  an  old  red- 
nosed  cavalry  Major ;  but  these  two  pre- 
served a  nonchalant  demeanour,  and,  be- 
yond a  look  of  intelligence  which  they 
rapidly  exchanged,  appeared  entirely  for- 
eign to  the  discussion  that  had  just  been 
terminated. 

Mr.  Morris  conducted  the  deserters  as  far 
as  the  door,  which  he  closed  upon  their 
heels ;  then  he  turned  round  disclosing  a 
countenance  of  mingled  relief  and  anima- 
tion, and  addressed  the  two  officers  as  fol- 
lows: 

"I  have  chosen  my  men  like  Joshua  in 
the  Bible,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  "  and  I  now  be- 
lieve I  have  the  pick  of  London.  Your  ap- 
pearance pleased  my  hansom  cabmen  ;  then 
it  delighted  me ;  I  have  watched  your  be- 
haviour in  a  strange  company,  and  under  the 
most  unusual  circumstances :  I  have  studied 
how  you  played  and  how  you  bore  your 
losses ;  lastly,  I  have  put  you  to  the  test  of 


152  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

a  staggering  announcement,  and  you  re- 
ceived it  like  an  invitation  to  dinner.  It  is 
not  for  nothing,"  he  cried,  "that  I  have 
been  for  years  the  companion  and  the  pupil 
of  the  bravest  and  wisest  potentate  in 
Europe. ' ' 

' '  At  the  affair  of  Bunderchang, ' '  observed 
the  Major,  ' '  I  asked  for  twelve  volunteers, 
and  every  trooper  in  the  ranks  replied  to 
my  appeal.  But  a  gaming  party  is  not  the 
same  thing  as  a  regiment  under  fire.  You 
may  be  pleased,  I  suppose,  to  have  found 
two,  and  two  who  will  not  fail  you  at  a 
push.  As  for  the  pair  who  ran  away,  I 
count  them  among  the  most  pitiful  hounds 
I  ever  met  with.  Lieutenant  Rich,"  he 
added,  addressing  Brackenbury,  "I  have 
heard  much  of  you  of  late  ;  and  I  cannot 
doubt  but  you  have  also  heard  of  me.  I  am 
Major  O'Rooke." 

And  the  veteran  tendered  his  hand, 
which  was  red  and  tremulous,  to  the  young 
Lieutenant. 

' '  Who  has  not  ?  ' '  answered  Brackenbury. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  153 

"  When  this  little  matter  is  settled,"  said 
Mr.  Morris,  "you  will  think  I  have  suffi- 
ciently rewarded  you ;  for  I  could  offer 
neither  a  more  valuable  service  than  to 
make  him  acquainted  with  the  other." 

"And  now,"  said  Major  O'Rooke,  "is 
it  a  duel?" 

"A  duel  after  a  fashion,"  replied  Mr. 
Morris,  ' '  a  duel  with  unknown  and  danger- 
ous enemies,  and,  as  I  gravely  fear,  a  duel 
to  the  death.  I  must  ask  you,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  to  call  me  Morris  no  longer  :  call 
me,  if  you  please,  Hammersmith ;  my  real 
name,  as  well  as  that  of  another  person  to 
whom  I  hope  to  present  you  before  long, 
you  will  gratify  me  by  not  asking  and  not 
seeking  to  discover  for  yourselves.  Three 
days  ago  the  person  of  whom  I  speak  dis- 
appeared suddenly  from  home ;  and,  until 
this  morning,  I  received  no  hint  of  his  situ- 
ation. You  will  fancy  my  alarm  when  I 
tell  you  that  he  is  engaged  upon  a  work  of 
private  justice.  Bound  by  an  unhappy 
oath,  too  lightly  sworn,  he  finds  it  neces- 


154  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

sary,  without  the  help  of  law,  to  rid  the 
earth  of  an  insidious  and  bloody  villain. 
Already  two  of  our  friends,  and  one  of  them 
my  own  born  brother,  have  perished  in  the 
enterprise.  He  himself,  or  I  am  much  de- 
ceived, is  taken  in  the  same  fatal  toils.  But 
at  least  he  still  lives  and  still  hopes,  as  this 
billet  sufficiently  proves." 

And  the  speaker,  no  other  than  Colonel 
Geraldine,  proffered  a  letter,  thus  con- 
ceived : 

"  Major  Hammersmith, — On  Wednesday, 
at  3  A.M.,  you  will  be  admitted  by  the 
small  door  to  the  gardens  of  Rochester 
House,  Regent's  Park,  by  a  man  who  is  en- 
tirely in  my  interest.  I  must  request  you 
not  to  fail  me  by  a  second.  Pray  bring 
my  case  of  swords,  and,  if  you  can  find 
them,  one  or  two  gentlemen  of  conduct 
and  discretion  to  whom  my  person  is  un- 
known. My  name  must  not  be  used  in  this 
affair. 

"T.  GOD  ALL." 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  155 

"  From  his  wisdom  alone,  if  he  had  no 
other  title,"  pursued  Colonel  Geraldine, 
when  the  others  had  each  satisfied  his  curi- 
osity, "my  friend  is  a  man  whose  direc- 
tions should  implicitly  be  followed.  I  need 
not  tell  you,  therefore,  that  I  have  not  so 
much  as  visited  the  neighbourhood  of  Roch- 
ester House ;  and  that  I  am  still  as  wholly 
in  the  dark  as  either  of  yourselves  as  to  the 
nature  of  my  friend's  dilemma.  I  betook 
myself,  as  soon  as  I  had  received  this  or- 
der, to  a  furnishing  contractor,  and,  in  a  few 
hours,  the  house  in  which  we  now  are  had 
assumed  its  late  air  of  festival.  My  scheme 
was  at  least  original ;  and  I  am  far  from  re- 
gretting an  action  which  has  procured  me 
the  services  of  Major  O'Rooke  and  Lieuten- 
ant Brackenbury  Rich.  But  the  servants  in 
the  street  will  have  a  strange  awakening. 
The  house  which  this  evening  was  full  of 
lights  and  visitors  they  will  find  uninhabited 
and  for  sale  to  -  morrow  morning.  Thus 
even  the  most  serious  concerns,"  added  the 
Colonel,  "have  a  merry  side." 


156  THE   SUICIDE  CLUB 

"And  let  us  add  a  merry  ending,"  said 
Brackenbury. 

The  Colonel  consulted  his  watch. 

"  It  is  now  hard  on  two,"  he  said.  "  We 
have  an  hour  before  us,  and  a  swift  cab  is 
at  the  door.  Tell  me  if  I  may  count  upon 
your  help." 

"During  a  long  life,"  replied  Major 
O'Rooke,  "  I  never  took  back  my  hand 
from  anything,  nor  so  much  as  hedged  a 
bet." 

Brackenbury  signified  his  readiness  in  the 
most  becoming  terms ;  and  after  they  had 
drunk  a  glass  or  two  of  wine,  the  Colonel 
gave  each  of  them  a  loaded  revolver,  and 
the  three  mounted  into  the  cab  and  drove 
off  for  the  address  in  question. 

Rochester  House  was  a  magnificent  resi- 
dence on  the  banks  of  the  canal.  The  large 
extent  of  the  garden  isolated  it  in  an  un- 
usual degree  from  the  annoyances  of  neigh- 
bourhood. It  seemed  the  pare  aux  cerfs  of 
some  great  nobleman  or  millionaire.  As 
far  as  could  be  seen  from  the  street,  there 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  157 

was  not  a  glimmer  of  light  in  any  of  the 
numerous  windows  of  the  mansion  ;  and  the 
place  had  a  look  of  neglect,  as  though  the 
master  had  been  long  from  home. 

The  cab  was  discharged,  and  the  three 
gentlemen  were  not  long  in  discovering  the 
small  door,  which  was  a  sort  of  postern  in  a 
lane  between  two  garden  walls.  It  still 
wanted  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  of  the  appoint- 
ed time ;  the  rain  fell  heavily,  and  the  ad- 
venturers sheltered  themselves  below  some 
pendent  ivy,  and  spoke  in  low  tones  of  the 
approaching  trial. 

Suddenly  Geraldine  raised  his  finger  to 
command  silence,  and  all  three  bent  their 
hearing  to  the  utmost.  Through  the  con- 
tinuous noise  of  the  rain,  the  steps  and 
voices  of  two  men  became  audible  from  the 
other  side  of  the  wall;  and,  as  they  drew 
nearer,  Brackenbury,  whose  sense  of  hearing 
was  remarkably  acute,  could  even  distinguish 
some  fragments  of  their  talk. 

"  Is  the  grave  dug  ?  "  asked  one. 

"  It  is,"  replied  the  other;   "  behind  the 


158  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

laurel  hedge.  When  the  job  is  done,  we 
can  cover  it  with  a  pile  of  stakes. ' ' 

The  first  speaker  laughed,  and  the  sound 
of  his  merriment  was  shocking  to  the  listen- 
ers on  the  other  side. 

"In  an  hour  from  now,"  he  said. 

And  by  the  sounds  of  the  steps  it  was  ob- 
vious that  the  pair  had  separated,  and  were 
proceeding  in  contrary  directions. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  postern  door 
was  cautiously  opened,  a  white  face  was  pro- 
truded into  the  lane,  and  a  hand  was  seen 
beckoning  to  the  watchers.  In  dead  silence 
the  three  passed  the  door,  which  was  imme- 
diately locked  behind  them,  and  followed 
their  guide  through  several  garden  alleys  to 
the  kitchen  entrance  of  the  house.  A  single 
candle  burned  in  the  great  paved  kitchen, 
which  was  destitute  of  the  customary  fur- 
niture ;  and  as  the  party  proceeded  to  as- 
cend from  thence  by  a  flight  of  winding 
stairs,  a  prodigious  noise  of  rats  testified  still 
more  plainly  to  the  dilapidation  of  the 
house. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  159 

Their  conductor  preceded  them,  carrying 
the  candle.  He  was  a  lean  man,  much  bent, 
but  still  agile  ;  and  he  turned  from  time  to 
time  and  admonished  silence  and  caution  by 
his  gestures.  Colonel  Geraldine  followed 
on  his  heels,  the  case  of  swords  under  one 
arm,  and  a  pistol  ready  in  the  other. 
Brackenbury's  heart  beat  thickly.  He  per- 
ceived that  they  were  still  in  time  ;  but  he 
judged  from  the  alacrity  of  the  old  man  that 
the  hour  of  action  must  be  near  at  hand ; 
the  circumstances  of  this  adventure  were  so 
obscure  and  menacing,  the  place  seemed  so 
well  chosen  for  the  darkest  acts,  that  an 
older  man  than  Brackenbury  might  have 
been  pardoned  a  measure  of  emotion  as  he 
closed  the  procession  up  the  winding  stair. 

At  the  top  the  guide  threw  open  a  door 
and  ushered  the  three  officers  before  him 
into  a  small  apartment,  lighted  by  a  smoky 
lamp  and  the  glow  of  a  modest  fire.  At  the 
chimney  corner  sat  a  man  in  the  early  prime 
of  life,  and  of  a  stout  but  courtly  and  com- 
manding appearance.  His  attitude  and  ex- 


160  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

pression  were  those  of  the  most  unmoved 
composure ;  he  was  smoking  a  cheroot  with 
much  enjoyment  and  deliberation,  and  on  a 
table  by  his  elbow  stood  a  long  glass  of 
some  effervescing  beverage,  which  diffused 
an  agreeable  odour  through  the  room. 

"  Welcome,"  said  he,  extending  his  hand 
to  Colonel  Geraldine.  "I  knew  I  might 
count  on  your  exactitude." 

"  On  my  devotion,"  replied  the  Colonel, 
with  a  bow. 

"Present  me  to  your  friends,"  continued 
the  first ;  and,  when  that  ceremony  had  been 
performed,  "I  wish,  gentlemen,"  he  added, 
with  the  most  exquisite  affability,  "  that  I 
could  offer  you  a  more  cheerful  programme  ; 
it  is  ungracious  to  inaugurate  an  acquaint- 
ance upon  serious  affairs;  but  the  compul- 
sion of  events  is  stronger  than  the  obliga- 
tions of  good-fellowship.  I  hope  and  be- 
lieve you  will  be  able  to  forgive  me  this 
unpleasant  evening ;  and  for  men  of  your 
stamp  it  will  be  enough  to  know  that  you 
are  conferring  a  considerable  favour. ' ' 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  161 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  the  Major, 
' '  must  pardon  my  bluntness.  I  am  unable 
to  hide  what  I  know.  For  some  time  back 
I  have  suspected  Major  Hammersmith,  but 
Mr.  Godall  is  unmistakable.  To  seek  two 
men  in  London  unacquainted  with  Prince 
Florizel  of  Bohemia  was  to  ask  too  much  at 
Fortune's  hands." 

"Prince  Florizel!"  cried  Brackenbury 
in  amazement. 

And  he  gazed  with  the  deepest  interest  on 
the  features  of  the  celebrated  personage  be- 
fore him. 

"  I  shall  not  lament  the  loss  of  my  in- 
cognito," remarked  the  Prince,  "  for  it  en- 
ables me  to  thank  you  with  the  more  author- 
ity. You  would  have  done  as  much  for 
Mr.  Godall,  I  feel  sure,  as  for  the  Prince  of 
Bohemia;  but  the  latter  can  perhaps  do 
more  for  you.  The  gain  is  mine,"  he  add- 
ed, with  a  courteous  gesture. 

And  the  next  moment  he  was  conversing 
with  the  two  officers  about  the  Indian  army 

and  the  native  troops,  a  subject  on  which, 
ii 


1 6z  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

as  on  all  others,  he  had  a  remarkable  fund 
of  information  and  the  soundest  views. 

There  was  something  so  striking  in  this 
man's  attitude  at  a  moment  of  deadly  peril 
that  Brackenbury  was  overcome  with  re- 
spectful admiration  ;  nor  was  he  less  sensi- 
ble to  the  charm  of  his  conversation  or  the 
surprising  amenity  of  his  address.  Every 
gesture,  every  intonation,  was  not  only 
noble  in  itself,  but  seemed  to  ennoble  the 
fortunate  mortal  for  whom  it  was  intended  ; 
and  Brackenbury  confessed  to  himself  with 
enthusiasm  that  this  was  a  sovereign  for 
whom  a  brave  man  might  thankfully  lay 
down  his  life. 

Many  minutes  had  thus  passed,  when  the 
person  who  had  introduced  them  into  the 
house,  and  who  had  sat  ever  since  in  a 
corner,  and  with  his  watch  in  his  hand, 
arose  and  whispered  a  word  into  the  Prince's 
ear. 

"  It  is  well,  Dr.  Noel,"  replied  Florizel, 
aloud ;  and  then  addressing  the  others, 
"You  will  excuse  me,  gentlemen,"  he 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  163 

added,  "  if  I  have  to  leave  you  in  the  dark. 
The  moment  now  approaches." 

Dr.  Noel  extinguished  the  lamp.  A  faint, 
gray  light,  premonitory  of  the  dawn,  illu- 
minated the  window,  but  was  not  sufficient 
to  illuminate  the  room ;  and  when  the 
Prince  rose  to  his  feet,  it  was  impossible  to 
distinguish  his  features  or  to  make  a  guess  at 
the  nature  of  the  emotion  which  obviously 
affected  him  as  he  spoke.  He  moved 
towards  the  door,  and  placed  himself  at  one 
side  of  it  in  an  attitude  of  the  wariest  at- 
tention. 

"You  will  have  the  kindness,"  he  said, 
"  to  maintain  the  strictest  silence,  and  to 
conceal  yourselves  in  the  densest  of  the 
shadow. ' ' 

The  three  officers  and  the  physician  has- 
tened to  obey,  and  for  nearly  ten  minutes 
the  only  sound  in  Rochester  House  was  oc- 
casioned by  the  excursions  of  the  rats  be- 
hind the  woodwork.  At  the  end  of  that 
period,  a  loud  creak  of  a  hinge  broke  in 
with  surprising  distinctness  on  the  silence  ; 


1 64  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

and  shortly  after,  the  watchers  could  dis- 
tinguish a  slow  and  cautious  tread  approach- 
ing up  the  kitchen  stair.  At  every  second 
step  the  intruder  seemed  to  pause  and  lend 
an  ear,  and  during  these  intervals,  which 
seemed  of  an  incalculable  duration,  a  pro- 
found disquiet  possessed  the  spirit  of  the  lis- 
teners. Dr.  Noel,  accustomed  as  he  was  to 
dangerous  emotions,  suffered  an  almost  piti- 
ful physical  prostration ;  his  breath  whistled 
in  his  lungs,  his  teeth  grated  one  upon  an- 
other, and  his  joints  cracked  aloud  as  he 
nervously  shifted  his  position. 

At  last  a  hand  was  laid  upon  the  door, 
and  the  bolt  shot  back  with  a  slight  report. 
There  followed  another  pause,  during  which 
Brackenbury  could  see  the  Prince  draw  him- 
self together  noiselessly  as  if  for  some  un- 
usual exertion.  Then  the  door  opened, 
letting  in  a  little  more  of  the  light  of  the 
morning  ;  and  the  figure  of  a  man  appeared 
upon  the  threshold  and  stood  motionless. 
He  was  tall,  and  carried  a  knife  in  his  hand. 
Even  in  the  twilight  they  could  see  his  up- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  165 

per  teeth  bare  and  glistening,  for  his  mouth 
was  open  like  that  of  a  hound  about  to  leap. 
The  man  had  evidently  been  over  the-  head 
in  water  but  a  minute  or  two  before ;  and 
even  while  he  stood  there  the  drops  kept 
falling  from  his  wet  clothes  and  pattered  on 
the  floor. 

The  next  moment  he  crossed  the  thresh- 
old. There  was  a  leap,  a  stifled  cry,  an 
instantaneous  struggle  ;  and  before  Colonel 
Geraldine  could  spring  to  his  aid,  the 
Prince  held  the  man,  disarmed  and  helpless, 
by  the  shoulders. 

"  Dr.  Noel,"  he  said,  "  you  will  be  so 
good  as  to  relight  the  lamp. ' ' 

And  relinquishing  the  charge  of  his  pris- 
oner to  Geraldine  and  Brackenbury,  he 
crossed  the  room  and  set  his  back  against 
the  chimney-piece.  As  soon  as  the  lamp 
had  kindled,  the  party  beheld  an  unaccus- 
tomed sternness  on  the  Prince's  features. 
It  was  no  longer  Florizel,  the  careless  gen- 
tleman ;  it  was  the  Prince  of  Bohemia,  just- 
ly incensed  and  full  of  deadly  purpose,  who 


1 66  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

now  raised  his  head  and  addressed  the  cap- 
tive President  of  the  Suicide  Club. 

"President,"  he  said,  "you  have  laid 
your  last  snare,  and  your  own  feet  are  taken 
in  it.  The  day  is  beginning ;  it  is  your  last 
morning.  You  have  just  swum  the  Re- 
gent's Canal ;  it  is  your  last  bathe  in  this 
world.  Your  old  accomplice,  Dr.  Noel,  so 
far  from  betraying  me,  has  delivered  you  in- 
to my  hands  for  judgment.  And  the  grave 
you  had  dug  for  me  this  afternoon  shall 
serve,  in  God's  almighty  providence,  to 
hide  your  own  just  doom  from  the  curiosity 
of  mankind.  Kneel  and  pray,  sir,  if  you 
have  a  mind  that  way;  for  your  time  is 
short,  and  God  is  weary  of  your  iniquities." 

The  President  made  no  answer  either  by 
word  or  sign ;  but  continued  to  hang  his 
head  and  gaze  sullenly  on  the  floor,  as 
though  he  were  conscious  of  the  Prince's 
prolonged  and  unsparing  regard. 

"Gentlemen,"  continued  Florizel,  re- 
suming the  ordinary  tone  of  his  conversa- 
tion, "  this  is  a  fellow  who  has  long  eluded 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  167 

me,  but  whom,  thanks  to  Dr.  Noel,  I  now 
have  tightly  by  the  heels.  To  tell  the  story 
of  his  misdeeds  would  occupy  more  time 
than  we  can  now  afford  ;  but  if  the  canal 
had  contained  nothing  but  the  blood  of  his 
victims,  I  believe  the  wretch  would  have 
been  no  drier  than  you  see  him.  Even  in 
an  affair  of  this  sort  I  desire  to  preserve  the 
forms  of  honour.  But  I  make  you  the 
judges,  gentlemen — this  is  more  an  execu- 
tion than  a  duel ;  and  to  give  the  rogue  his 
choice  of  weapons  would  be  to  push  too  far 
a  point  of  etiquette.  I  cannot  afford  to  lose 
my  life  in  such  a  business,"  he  continued, 
unlocking  the  case  of  swords ;  ' '  and  as  a 
pistol-bullet  travels  so  often  on  the  wings  of 
chance,  and  skill  and  courage  may  fall  by 
the  most  trembling  marksman,  I  have  de- 
cided, and  I  feel  sure  you  will  approve  my 
determination,  to  put  this  question  to  the 
touch  of  swords." 

When  Brackenbury  and  Major  O'Rooke, 
to  whom  these  remarks  were  particularly  ad- 
dressed, had  each  intimated  his  approval, 


1 68  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"  Quick,  sir,"  added  Prince  Florizel  to  the 
President,  "  choose  a  blade  and  do  not  keep 
me  waiting ;  I  have  an  impatience  to  be 
done  with  you  for  ever." 

For  the  first  time  since  he  was  captured 
and  disarmed  the  President  raised  his  head, 
and  it  was  plain  that  he  began  instantly  to 
pluck  up  courage. 

"  Is  it  to  be  stand  up?"  he  asked  eag- 
erly, ' '  and  between  you  and  me  ?  ' ' 

"I  mean  so  far  to  honour  you,"  replied 
the  Prince. 

"Oh,  come!"  cried  the  President. 
"With  a  fair  field,  who  knows  how  things 
may  happen  ?  I  must  add  that  I  consider 
it  handsome  behaviour  on  your  Highness' s 
part ;  and  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst  I 
shall  die  by  one  of  the  most  gallant  gentle- 
men in  Europe." 

And  the  President,  liberated  by  those 
who  had  detained  him,  stepped  up  to  the 
table  and  began,  with  minute  attention,  to 
select  a  sword.  He  was  highly  elated,  and 
seemed  to  feel  no  doubt  that  he  should  issue 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  169 

victorious  from  the  contest.  The  spectators 
grew  alarmed  in  the  face  of  so  entire  a  con- 
fidence, and  adjured  Prince  Florizel  to  re- 
consider his  intention. 

"It  is  but  a  farce,"  he  answered  ;  "and 
I  think  I  can  promise  you,  gentlemen,  that 
it  will  not  be  long  a-playing." 

"  Your  Highness  will  be  careful  not  to 
overreach,"  said  Colonel  Geraldine. 

"  Geraldine,"  returned  the  Prince,  "  did 
you  ever  know  me  fail  in  a  debt  of  honour  ? 
I  owe  you  this  man's  death,  and  you  shall 
have  it." 

The  President  at  last  satisfied  himself 
with  one  of  the  rapiers,  and  signified  his 
readiness  by  a  gesture  that  was  not  devoid 
of  a  rude  nobility.  The  nearness  of  peril, 
and  the  sense  of  courage,  even  to  this  ob- 
noxious villain,  lent  an  air  of  manhood  and 
a  certain  grace. 

The  Prince  helped  himself  at  random  to 
a  sword. 

"  Colonel  Geraldine  and  Doctor  Noel," 
he  said,  "  will  have  the  goodness  to  await 


170  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

me  in  this  room.  I  wish  no  personal  friend 
of  mine  to  be  involved  in  this  transaction. 
Major  O'Rooke,  you  are  a  man  of  some 
years  and  a  settled  reputation — let  me  rec- 
ommend the  President  to  your  good  graces. 
Lieutenant  Rich  will  be  so  good  as  to  lend 
me  his  attentions :  a  young  man  cannot 
have  too  much  experience  in  such  affairs." 

"Your  Highness,"  replied  Brackenbury, 
"  it  is  an  honour  I  shall  prize  extremely." 

"It  is  well, ' '  returned  Prince  Florizel ; 
4 '  I  shall  hope  to  stand  your  friend  in  more 
important  circumstances." 

And  so  saying  he  led  the  way  out  of  the 
apartment  and  down  the  kitchen  stairs. 

The  two  men  who  were  thus  left  alone 
threw  open  the  window  and  leaned  out, 
straining  every  sense  to  catch  an  indication 
of  the  tragical  events  that  were  about  to  fol- 
low. The  rain  was  now  over ;  day  had  al- 
most come,  and  the  birds  were  piping  in  the 
shrubbery  and  on  the  forest  trees  of  the  gar- 
den. The  Prince  and  his  companions  were 
visible  for  a  moment  as  they  followed  an 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  171 

alley  between  two  flowering  thickets ;  but  at 
the  first  corner  a  clump  of  foliage  inter- 
vened, and  they  were  again  concealed  from 
view.  This  was  all  the  Colonel  and  the 
physician  had  an  opportunity  to  see,  and 
the  garden  was  so  vast,  and  the  place  of 
combat  evidently  so  remote  from  the  house, 
that  not  even  the  noise  of  sword-play  reached 
their  ears. 

' '  He  has  taken  him  towards  the  grave, ' ' 
said  Dr.  Noel,  with  a  shudder. 

"  God,"  cried  the  Colonel,  "  God  defend 
the  right  !  ' ' 

And  they  awaited  the  event  in  silence, 
the  Doctor  shaking  with  fear,  the  Colonel  in 
an  agony  of  sweat.  Many  minutes  must 
have  elapsed,  the  day  was  sensibly  broader, 
and  the  birds  were  singing  more  heartily  in 
the  garden  before  a  sound  of  returning  foot- 
steps recalled  their  glances  towards  the  door. 
It  was  the  Prince  and  the  two  Indian  officers 
who  entered.  God  had  defended  the  right. 

"  I  am  ashamed  of  my  emotion,"  said 
Prince  Florizel;  "I  feel  it  a  weakness  un- 


172  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

worthy  of  my  station,  but  the  continued  ex- 
istence of  that  hound  of  hell  had  begun  to 
play  upon  me  like  a  disease,  and  his  death 
has  more  refreshed  me  than  a  night  of  slum- 
ber. Look,  Geraldine,"  he  continued, 
throwing  his  sword  upon  the  floor,  ' '  there 
is  the  blood  of  the  man  who  killed  your 
brother.  It  should  be  a  welcome  sight. 
And  yet,"  he  added,  "see  how  strangely 
we  men  are  made  !  my  revenge  is  not  yet 
five  minutes  old,  and  already  I  am  beginning 
to  ask  myself  if  even  revenge  be  attaina- 
ble on  this  precarious  stage  of  life.  The  ill 
he  did,  who  can  undo  it?  The  career  in 
which  he  amassed  a  huge  fortune  (for  the 
house  itself  in  which  he  stayed  belonged  to 
him) — that  career  is  now  a  part  of  the  des- 
tiny of  mankind  forever ;  and  I  might  weary 
myself  making  thrusts  in  carte  until  the 
crack  of  judgment,  and  Geraldine's  brother 
would  be  none  the  less  dead,  and  a  thousand 
other  innocent  persons  would  be  none  the 
less  dishonoured  and  debauched  !  The  ex- 
istence of  a  man  is  so  small  a  thing  to  take, 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB  173 

so  mighty  a  thing  to  employ  !  Alas  !  "  he 
cried,  "is  there  anything  in  life  so  disen- 
chanting as  attainment  ?  " 

"God's  justice. has  been  done,"  replied 
the  Doctor.  "  So  much  I  behold.  The 
lesson,  your  Highness,  has  been  a  cruel  one 
for  me ;  and  I  await  my  own  turn  with 
deadly  apprehension." 

"What  was  I  saying?"  cried  the  Prince. 
"  I  have  punished,  and  here  is  the  man  be- 
side us  who  can  help  me  to  undo.  Ah, 
Dr.  Noel !  you  and  I  have  before  us  many 
a  day  of  hard  and  honourable  toil ;  and 
perhaps,  before  we  have  done,  you  may 
have  more  than  redeemed  your  early  errors. ' ' 

"And  in  the  meantime,"  said  the  Doc- 
tor, "  let  me  go  and  bury  my  oldest  friend." 

(And  this,  observes  the  erudite  Arabian, 
is  the  fortunate  conclusion  of  the  tale. 
The  Prince,  it  is  superfluous  to  mention, 
forgot  none  of  those  vvho  served  him  in 
this  great  exploit ;  and  to  this  day  his 
authority  and  influence  help  them  for- 


174  THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

ward  in  their  public  career,  while  his 
condescending  friendship  adds  a  charm 
to  their  private  life.  To  collect,  contin- 
ues the  author,  all  the  strange  events  in 
which  this  Prince  has  played  the  part  of 
Providence  were  to  fill  the  habitable 
globe  with  books.  But  the  stories  which 
relate  to  the  fortunes  of  THE  RAJAH'S 
DIAMOND  are  of  too  entertaining  a  de- 
scription, says  he,  to  be  omitted.  Follow- 
ing prudently  in  the  footsteps  of  this 
Oriental,  we  shall  now  begin  the  series 
to  which  he  refers  with  the  STORY  OF 
THE  BANDBOX.) 


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